Under the Radar
by Hipstergecko
Summary: Gohan is living life as a secret superhero, but Videl is making it her business to find him out! How will Gohan manage her and Saiyan hormones? Will he fess up? Or will he try to live his life -puts on sunglasses- "Under the Radar"? *applause* Thank you! Thank you! And GOODNIGHT! G/V obviously. Rated T because adult situations and language in later chapters. COMPLETE!
1. A Normal Day

**Under the Radar**  
A fanfic about Gohan and Videl's relationship right before the Buu Saga.  
For the sake of the storyline, I have decided to postpone the Buu saga until further notice. AhaHA!  
I tried to keep the characters as close to canon without spoiling everything, but took liberties that I am sure you will discover.

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own DBZ nor claim to own it. All characters belong to the franchise and nothing is mine. Except the plot. Ho yez…

Ch. 1: A normal day

* * *

It had been a month since school started, but Gohan had finally begun to feel "comfortable" with his new routine. School was still in session, Videl was still glaring daggers at him, Sharpner still shunned him, and Erasa kept throwing him winks out of the corner of her eye.

Boring.

Boring, Boring, _Boring_.

There were very few points in his life that he could remember being so mind numbingly bored. Heck even his mother's tirades were more interesting than school was. Gohan sighed. He shouldn't get frustrated with the school or the students. After all it wasn't like he could help that he'd learned all this when he was younger.

Distractedly, Gohan gazed out the window, wondering what Goten was up to. That kid really helped him to forget his troubles. Ever since Dad died….

Letting out a sigh, he pushed darker thoughts from his mind and tried to focus on the lecture. It was tough getting over Goku's death. His guilt from letting his cockiness get the better of him in the fight with cell tore him up on the inside. It wasn't until a few years after Goten was born that Vegeta finally smacked some sense into him.

That's right, Vegeta. Goku's rival and grudging friend.

Gohan had trained himself almost to the point of death, despite the pleas of his family. Yes he was insanely strong, no one ever questioned that. But Gohan felt the urge, no, the _need_ to pay penance. A self-induced repentance paid by overworking his body, giving over to the physical pain, so that no one would ever have to die again. Vegeta had actually encouraged this at first, wanting to see Gohan reach his full potential. However, after a few years, things seemed to slowly get worse for the kid and Vegeta could no longer stand idly by.

Gohan remembered the day, eyes shimmering faintly as the teacher droned on in front of the class.

* * *

It was dark and very, very cold. Gohan looked up from the snow on the top of the world. His hair was long for a child his age and his eyes bore deep dark circles. How long had he been out here? He only knew that it wasn't long enough. Not long enough to make up for his arrogance.

He gritted his teeth against the pain as he shakily struggled to his feet. Hands firmly braced on his knees, he wrestled with the depression, self-doubt, weakness, and guilt that plagued him constantly. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a voice broke in on his thoughts.

"Brat, what are you doing?"

Startled, Gohan stumbled completely upright before falling into the snow once more. "Vegeta!" He exclaimed, his countenance changing from surprise to confusion. The mess of emotions in his head settled as anger crossed his face. "How did you find me?" Gohan all but growled at the short muscular form before him.

Vegeta smirked. "How else? I followed your ki." His a frown replaced his smirk as he looked down at the state Gohan was in. Gohan's energy was extremely low and the child had more wounds across his body than Vegeta had expected.

Gohan's face grew darker. "I didn't ask you to come."

"Of course you didn't fool!" Vegeta snapped. "The woman was worried that you had died or something. The nerve of that wench! Ordering me around like that…" His tirade faded off into low grumbles.

"Just leave me alone."

Vegeta's eyes returned to the boy. "Why? So you could finish 'training'? Don't be stupid, brat." His glare narrowed. "Unless you think that you'd become stronger by dying on everyone."

"At least I wouldn't have to listen to YOU anymore!" Gohan once again pulled himself slowly to feet, sending Vegeta a fierce look. "At least I wouldn't have to put up with being in this hell-hole of a life!" His voice grew louder and louder as he clenched his fists. "At LEAST I wouldn't have to see ANYONE anymore! At least NO ONE would have to PUT UP WITH ME anymore!" Tears at this point had started rolling down the young saiyan's cheeks. "AT LEAST I WOULDN'T HAVE TO BEAR with the GUILT anymore! AT LEAST AT LEAST I'D GET WHAT I DESERVE FOR LETTING DAD DIE!"

A swift blow to the head blew Gohan back about 300 yards. Tumbling and sliding over the snowy ground until finally colliding with a cliff face. Gohan tried to pull himself up, but failed. Groaning, he slumped to the ground, waiting for the oblivion that he searched for with all his heart.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Gohan cursed on the inside as he felt a hand roughly pulling him up by the top of his torn and bloody gi. Something smacked him harshly across the face a few times before he pried his eyes open. Vegeta stood there, holding the small boy at his eye level. He scowled and brought Gohan's face close to his own.

"You stupid, ignorant fool," He said softly, "You had no voice in the matter. Why did Kakarrot _choose_ to die?"

Surprised, Gohan's eyes widened at his tone. He'd never heard Vegeta use such a soft voice. His eyes quickly narrowed and he rasped out the answer.

"Because I screwed up."

A resounding _whack_ tolled out across the mountaintop. Gohan squeezed his eyes shut against the painful open-handed slap Vegeta dealt him.

"I thought you were supposed to be smarter than the other idiots in your family." Vegeta sneered at him. "Remove yourself from the picture for once in your pathetic, selfish little life." He tossed Gohan to the ground once more. "So you made an error. _He_ was the one to choose death. It wasn't his duty to do so."

Gohan rose slowly to his feet once more. "To save the planet then!" He all but shouted at Vegeta.

"Fool spawn of a half-wit!" Vegeta shouted in reply. "Namek's dragon balls would've taken care of the planet!" He sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Kakarrot learned instant transmission and could've restored the planet and defeated cell in an instant," He growled at Gohan, "so there was no need to him throw away his life."

"THEN WHY IS HE DEAD!" Gohan screamed, his meager amount of remaining ki blazing in his eyes. "WHY THE HELL IS HE DEAD!?"

Vegeta looked at him steadily. "So that you could live."

Gohan was thunderstruck. The ki in his eyes faded away.

"Wh… what do you mean?"

"Don't play the idiot with me, brat!" Vegeta growled. "I'm not the one who thinks that death is the easy way out here."

"B-but I was the one who-"

"Yes yes we were all there to watch it too." Vegeta interrupted. "I'm not as stupid as that nuisance Kakarrot. I know that he was protecting you when he took cell away for detonation. Hell, he was probably only thinking of you at the time."

"But I…"

Vegeta shouted, "SHUT your trap and THINK boy!" Before turning his back on him. "You're the fool's SON. He DIED so you could LIVE. THAT'S IT."

"But Vege-"

"NO." Vegeta interrupted again, growing far more annoyed than anticipated. "Training like this is foolish if you are only seeking death! I thought you wanted to grow stronger, not be sniveling in the dirt, begging for punishment." Vegeta turned and stomped over to Gohan, folding his arms, towering above him. "What I hate more than a weakling is an imbecile who has what it takes to get stronger, but decides that his life is worth nothing!" He nearly roared at the boy, "Especially when someone far more powerful gives up his life to save it!"

Gohan sat, stunned into silence. He'd never seen Vegeta like this. He was so adamant. Concerned even.

"Why?"

Vegeta growled low at the small voice coming from Gohan. "Why what?"

"Why do you care?"

Vegeta thought for a moment, reached down and slung the poor defenseless brat over his shoulder. "There are only a few saiyans left, brat. How the hell can I call myself the Prince of all Saiyans if I am the only one?" He slowly lifted off into the air and began flying back to Capsule Corp. "I need a decent sparring partner to become the strongest, and right now, you are the only one who can keep up with me. I am NOT about to let YOU take away my chance to defeat that CURSED THIRD CLASS CLOWN!"

"… I.."

"You WHAT!"

A long pause came, punctuated by struggling breaths as Gohan tried to speak."… I never *sniffle* .. n-never got *sob*… got to s-say goodbye."

Vegeta felt hot tears wet the back of his jacket. Groaning inwardly, Vegeta considered leaving the weakling back on the mountain to die anyway.

"Hn."

"A-and I.." sobbed Gohan, brokenly, "I n-never s-said…"

"Shut it, brat. I don't need to hear your weakness _again_."

Gohan cried quietly into the proud prince's jacket. Vegeta remained silent the rest of the flight. Letting the truth sink in was the best choice. Vegeta frowned darkly to himself. _Stupid woman. I'd better get a decent reward for this. I do NOT want anyone thinking I've gone soft._

* * *

Gohan shook himself from his thoughts by the school bell ringing. It was _finally_ the end of the day! He pulled his bag onto his desk and began fitting his textbooks inside; musing to himself about the reactions he received when he got home.

His mother had been in tears. She was so scared and so angry that she let her emotions override everything. Bulma had been the same way, though Krillin and others of the Z-gang looked relieved that Vegeta had brought him back. Bulma was convinced that he was the one who beat Gohan up so badly, but it was really just the pain Gohan inflicted on himself while training, leaving no room for food or rest. It took a while to sort out the story, but in the end, most everyone was crying, apologizing or laughing with tears streaming down their faces. Piccolo simply smiled and Vegeta scowled, but that was pretty normal anyway.

He'd learned later that Vegeta had volunteered to go after him. He'd really softened up over the years. Yeah he still shouted and ranted and raved and threatened the planet on a daily basis, but Goku was right when he said that Vegeta wasn't all bad. There was more to the saiyan prince than upon first glance. (OOOOH Set up for different fic! I always wanted to make Vegeta a secret softie. :DD)

Gohan continued out of the classroom to his locker, trying to avoid the short raven haired girl storming behind him. He opened his locker and continued to muse upon how his life had changed so drastically in a few short years. He still studied and trained hard, but there was a joy to life now. One that he had missed out on for far too long.

But high school? Nope! Wouldn't have minded missing out on this!

As he shut his locker door, Gohan felt an intense stare at the back of his head. Turning around, he found that Videl had effectively pinned him against the lockers. Her locker, which so happened to be next to his, had the door wide open, blocking one exit. Videl's arm blocked the other escape route as she stood directly in front of him. A little too close for anyone's comfort.

Gohan could feel a prickle up the back of his neck as she stood there. He mustered himself for her onslaught and spoke cheerily.

"Hey Videl!"

"Gohan." She deadpanned.

Sweat began building on Gohan's face. She had a determined look in her eyes, one that spelt trouble for a certain secret superhero.

"Do… uh… can I help you with anything?"

"Yes Gohan, actually, you can."

Gohan's eyes widened. _Crapbaskets. What could she want now?_ Videl had been badgering Gohan for a while now, peppering him with questions as often as she got the chance. She used to just ignore him, but ever since the rise of Saiyaman she had gotten more and more outspoken to him.

Videl smirked up at him. "I want to know how you get to school every day."

"W-why would you want to know something like that?" Gohan managed, "I mean, you asked me this already."

"You didn't tell me anything. Seriously, do you drive a car or plane or…"

"I… I fly." He stammered.

"So you can fly a plane huh? Is it a jetcopter like mine?"

"No no! Nothing so fancy." He slowly closed the locker next to him and began trying to scoot himself away from the intense glare and questioning. "Speaking of flying, I'd better get home before my mother worries about me." As soon as he was far enough away from the girl to turn around, Gohan whirled about and ran for the door. "NicetalkingtoyouVidelbye!"

"HEY! Wait just a second!" Videl dashed after him shouting, "I'm not through with you yet Son Gohan!"

_Well I'm through with the questions!_ Gohan thought to himself as he rounded another corner. _Why can't she just leave me alone? Yeah she thinks I might be Saiyaman, but still! I've given her no reason to suspect me._ He conked himself on the side of the head. _No reason besides the fact that I am a terrible liar and actually AM Saiyaman. And that she doesn't really know me. And that I am the person who could destroy her father's reputation about killing cell. Aaand the fact that I'm too strong to be an average highschooler. _He let out a ragged sigh. _I just hope I can at least last the year…_

Gohan turned another corner only to come face to face with… A dead-end.

_HOW? _Panicked, his eyes darted around the corridor. _Who was the _genius_ who put a dead-end in a school building?Why would you DO that?! If I EVER meet the architect…_

He felt a hand fall firmly on his shoulder. _FRACK._

"Goooooooooohaaaaaaaaan." Videl was panting heavily, eyes lit up in an extremely devious way. "Gotcha."

"S-so you did Videl." He said hesitantly. Suddenly, his eyes alit on his saving grace. A men's restroom. "B-but I can't stay to chat. I reeeeally had to use the restroom and ran to find one you see."

"Ahuh… So tell me, why come to the one at the end on the science wing?" She folded her arms, a triumphant smirk on her face. "You weren't… running away were you?"

"Running away? Pshh… no!" Gohan scoffed. "I just… forgot a textbook in the science wing and since I had to use the restroom I'd come over and get two birds with one…" He trailed off. _I can't believe that just came out of my mouth._

"If I didn't know better," she said, moving in front of the restrooms, "I'd say you were scared."

"Oh… uh, I'm not afraid of you." _You can't hurt me physically at least._

"Well you should be." Videl said matter-of-factually. "I know you are hiding something. And I'm going to find out what it is."

"Is that so?" Gohan chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit. "I'm not hiding anything Videl! Besides, what would I possibly want to hide from you?" _Besides everything._

She frowned. "I don't know yet. You have behaved suspiciously ever since you got here."

"Well this _is_ my first attempt at public school so…"

She looked him dead in the eye, thinking. After a moment she seemed to have come to a conclusion. "Hmmm.. I guess so. Sorry if I came on too strong." She smirked. "I tend to find out as much about a person as I can. Guess it's from helping out the police all the time. Hopefully I haven't scared you out of public high school forever."

"No no! You haven't scared me at all!" Videl turned and began walking down the hall away from Gohan.

"Well good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She casually threw over her shoulder. Videl turned the corner and walked out of sight.

Gohan almost crumpled with relief. _She bought it! I can't believe she bought it! I let her come to her own conclusions and it worked!_ He strolled down the same hallway, towards the main entrance, with a bounce in his step. _Maybe now things will settle down and we could be friends!_ He hadn't had much luck in that department, though he did chat regularly with Erasa, Sharpner, and Videl, he wasn't as close to them as a friend should be. Gohan spent most of his spare time as Saiyaman and evading one angry Videl. She had follows his scent like she a hound, but she is twice as tenacious! It was as if the vigilante police girl had made Gohan her new pet project.

_Being someone's project is not such a bad thing._ He mused to himself as he left the building. _It certainly made life interesting! _He knew Videl had good intentions, but couldn't get over the fact that she was out for blood. Figuratively speaking of course.

The teenaged saiyan left main campus and made his way down a side street. It was much easier to fly home from the outskirts of town and not the center of it. He paused to see if anyone was near him. Gohan didn't see anyone, but stretched out his senses just in case.

"Augh!" Gohan let out an audible feeling of frustration as he felt a familiar ki nearby. _Videl again? I thought she decided to give it up!_ Growling faintly, Gohan darted behind another building. _Figures she wouldn't just leave it lay._ Sighing, the teen leapt off the ground and landed on the 4 story building behind him. Glancing down, he saw Videl look about wildly, cursing that she had lost her quarry _again._

He chuckled. _It's actually kind of like a game. I hide, and she tries to find me out. Too bad the consequences are too high to actually play it like a game._ He watched as she ran off in another direction to activate her jetcopter. _I wish I didn't have to hide who I was._ Gohan had started out sincerely liking his school. The people there were pretty nice if you could get past all the teasing. Yeah it was boring, but hey you can't win 'em all. Heck he even thought Videl was cool too. She didn't treat him like she wanted something from him and was honest and open from the start.

_Wish I could have been as honest with her as she is with me._ He though reluctantly to himself as he switched his watch to Saiayaman mode. The ensemble covered his school clothes and hid his identity beneath a dark visor and helmet. This was a security. Flying around and saving people as a normal Gohan would totally reveal who he really was. No one wanted that kind of publicity.

Videl flew off in her jetcopter in the direction opposite of Gohan. That didn't happen too often. Usually she headed straight for him. Maybe, just maybe his luck was starting to turn for the better?

She spun about abruptly and headed back his direction. _Snap! _He hid behind an old air conditioner sitting on the rooftop. He stayed there until Videl had flown by. _Figures it was too good to be true. Oh well. Just got to think positive._ He stood up from his crouched position._ Like how mom will have dinner hot and ready when I get home._ He grinned and let out a loud whoop before shooting up into the sky.

Food. The ultimate pick-me-up.

* * *

Videl entered the Satan mansion late that night. She'd been looking for Gohan for a while after she'd lost him, but hadn't any luck in finding the suspicious teen. _It's like he just… vanished!_ She shook her head. _Not possible! No one can just disappear! But this is the second time this has happened. Oh I can just hear it now. 'Videl Satan, the daughter of the world savior, can't track one nerdy high school student!' What's wrong with me?_

Making her way up to her room, she ignored the noises coming from her father's room. It wasn't the first time he stayed up all night re-viewing his 'greatness'. Sometimes he brought women home and that made staying in the same home with him almost unbearable. She clenched her fists. If only there was someone strong enough to knock some sense into that stupid father of hers! He'd changed ever since gaining his immense popularity after the cell games. He was still her father, still a goof, but he'd changed into an arrogant, stuck up, self-absorbed…

She sighed. _It could be worse I suppose._ Videl fell face first into her bed, snuggling up to her pillow after the stress of the school day. _I could be stuck in another shopping trip with Erasa._ Those were the worst. Videl had an affinity towards more interesting pursuits than shopping, but she went with her friend anyway. Erasa was a good person. Hard to shop with, but a good person.

Sharpner, another of her classmates, was a good person too. That is, if you overlooked that he'd been trying to get with Videl for the course of their high school career. _I've forgotten how many times I've given him a knuckle sandwich. _She grinned to herself. Videl made it a point to smack around any boy who tried to make a move on her. This was mostly because most guys just wanted to get to know her because she was rich and famous. You know… get on her father's good side. Stupid jerks. She had feelings too ya know!

Videl let out another deep sigh as she moved from her bed to the bathroom. Dating was the furthest thing on her mind. The good-looking guys were jerks and only wanted to know her for popularity and the others were too weak to do anything other than fawn over the fact that she was Hercule Satan's daughter! This does absolute _wonders_ for the self-esteem. Then again, she never had to worry about that before, so why start now? She figured she was attractive, but never really considered herself as being pretty. She was a crime fighter for goodness sake! Thinking about her appearance and, heaven forbid, boys was not something she could or even wanted to indulge in.

_Well,_ she mused, _at least most boys._ Gohan was an exception. He was an honest to goodness mystery. _A mystery that I am going to figure out!_ Videl thought firmly._ Even if he's not Saiyaman, there is something about him that just ruffles my feathers._ Yeah he was cute, but that's not why she was interested. He was intelligent when it came to schoolwork, but didn't know squat about anything else. He didn't know who she was and who her father was. What's more, he snickered when she told him! The nerve of that guy! Yeah it was kind of refreshing not being fawned over, but show a little respect!

Gohan was quite the enigma. He didn't hang out with anyone after school, didn't have many friends, and didn't try to stand out at all. It's like he was the antithesis of a high school boy. What was his deal? He was ridiculously sweet to everyone, even the kids who bullied him like no tomorrow. Gohan never talked about himself and constantly lied when she asked him.

_Maybe he is lying because he doesn't trust me. _Videl bit her lip. _Maybe I should ease up on him…_ She felt a bit guilty about today. She knew that she'd let him believe that she'd let the whole thing drop, but followed him anyway. _I feel like a sleazebag. Yeah I want to find him out, but that doesn't mean I should lie to his face like that._

Videl nodded her head as she slipped into her PJs. _You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. _She decided then and there to become his friend and find out more about him the old-fashioned way. It'd be tough though… She'd been pretty hard on the guy. _I just have to be careful._ The girl reasoned to herself. _Get deep enough to find out his secrets, but not too deep that I can't do the right thing if he really is a danger!_

Videl smirked as she slipped in between the sheets, satisfies with her plan. Tomorrow was going to be one heckuva day!

* * *

Well that's the end of chapter one. It's taking a bit of a different route than I had intended. Lotsa expositional stuff in there. But the words flew straight from my fingertips WITHOUT MY CONSENT.  
Heavens Above! Am I… possessed? O_O

Tune in next time to hear Gohan say…. Something profound? I dunnoes man. Let me know what you think! R&amp;R or whatever!


	2. Lunches and Storms

**DISCLAIMER**: Again with the not owning DBZ or any of the characters therein. REPETITION.

BTW the line breaks mean a change in perspective. Just in case you were wondering.

Ch. 2: Lunches and Storms

* * *

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Gohan grunted as he felt a hard object land on his stomach. What poor creature dared interrupt the precious saiyan sleep cycle?!

"Wake up big brother! Mom says breakfast is almost ready!" Goten shouted, bouncing now upon his brother's midsection.

"AUGH. I'm up! I'm UP!" Gohan sat up in bed, grabbing his little brother roughly. "And you are the most annoying alarm clock ever!" Goten squealed as Gohan noogied his brother.

"MERCY!" Goten broke his brother's grasp and barreled out of the room. Gohan chuckled and moved out of bed. Time to get ready for school.

After his shower, Gohan dressed quickly. Rushing downstairs, he joined his little brother at the table.

"Good morning Gohan!" Chichi said cheerfully. "I hope you slept well. Goten, keep your elbows off the table! By the way boys, I heard that there's supposed to be a thunderstorm sometime today. Please be sure to keep dry even though I know your ki can dry you off in a few seconds. You don't need to be wet and cold long before you get sick!" She went on for a few more minutes before noticing that neither boy was paying attention. Both were stuffing their faces as fast as they could.

Gohan noticed his mom's look. Gulping down his mouthful, he said "Sure thing mom!" and continued at a slower pace.

Goten looked up. "Srrrrmmf mrrf mrrm!"

"Goten, don't talk with your mouth full." Chichi admonished gently.

He swallowed. "Sorry mom." Glancing over at his brother, Goten asked, "Hey Gohan, if it rains today, can we go flying in the storm? I heard Trunks saying that his dad let him fly out in the storm and play with the lightning!"

Chichi was appalled. "Certainly not! No son of mine is going to get fried by a lightning bolt!"

Gohan sent his mom a grin. "Don't worry mom. I'm sure that Trunks was just bragging." He turned to Goten. "We can go flying in the storm, but we can't play with the lightning."

"Oh no you don't, Son Gohan!"

"But mom, Dad and I used to do that too. It's perfectly safe."

Chichi looked worried for a moment then sighed. She had been increasingly lax with the boys of late. Her age must be getting to her. "Fine, but if either of you catches a cold, don't come crying to me. You may be saiyans, but you aren't invincible." She turned to her youngest son. "Be sure to wear a raincoat if you go out today, okay Goten?"

"Yeah mom! Woo! I get to go out with Gohan!" Goten buzzed excitedly. It had been a while since he got to play with his brother.

Gohan smiled. "I'll see you later, squirt!" He gave his mother a peck on the cheek as he headed toward the door. "Thanks for breakfast mom! I'll see you after school!" He heard them call out behind him as he took to the air.

"Byeeeeee Gohan!"

"Be safe sweetie!"

* * *

Videl smacked her alarm clock with a force that left cracks running through her nightstand. Again.

She grudgingly pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Videl prepared herself quickly and moved towards the dining room. Breakfast had already been laid out and her father had seated himself at the head of the table. Sitting next to him, she poured herself a coffee and snagged some toast. She didn't spend much time over breakfast if she could help it.

"G'mornin' sweet pea." Hercule rumbled over the newspaper at his daughter.

"Hey dad."

"How are classes?"

"Boring."

"Good, good." He glanced over at her. "How's crime fighting treating ya?"

"It's alright dad."

"Good! I'm so proud of how strong you've gotten. As long as you don't get hurt, keep up the good work hon!" He beamed at her a moment before returning to the news.

Videl allowed herself a small smile before leaving the table. "Thanks dad." It was nice to know every once in a while that he really did care. Even if he forgot to when the cameras were rolling. Stupid paparazzi.

As she left the mansion, Videl snagged her schoolbag and capsule that held her jetcopter. It was a gift from the police force along with her radio-watch. Hopefully she'd have a day off from policing the town.

But who really knows anyway?

* * *

Gohan sped towards OSH. He'd had a rather enjoyable morning. His mother had been surprisingly lenient when they talked about flying in a storm. Usually she'd tried to stop anything that might cause bodily harm including daily training. But the teen knew she was just trying to do her best. Things had been hard on Chichi with Goku gone, but her fighting spirit never gave up. As much as she nagged at him and forced him to study, Chichi was a good parent. Tough enough to keep saiyans in line and sweet enough to be a wonderful mother.

The sun shone weakly through the dark clouds that shrouded the sky. Gusts of harsh winds buffeted his helmet and cape as he flew over Satan city. He was in his Saiyaman disguise, naturally, as he was flying around in public. He had made good time out to Satan city from the 439 mountain area he called home. So there was plenty of time to do a quick patrol.

Scanning the area, Saiyaman concluded that there were no crimes occurring before the school bell rang. Gohan landed on the roof and switched off saiya-mode. He mused to himself about all the cool things that Bulma had invented in capsule corp. Capsules, different modes of transportation and storage, all of those things had come out of her and her father's heads. When Gohan asked her about it, Bulma had explained that the watch worked by converting his outfit into an electrical energy stored in his watch. Upon pressing the button, the energy released and snapped back into place on his body. His normal clothes then took their place as stored energy in the watch.

Gohan walked slowly inside the building. _Bulma thinks up the coolest stuff. _He let out a sigh as he reached his locker and pulled out his books. _I wonder if she could make something that would make school less boring._ Glancing around, he made his way into the classroom and to his normal seat.

"Well, look who's early for once."

Gohan smiled broadly. "Good morning Sharpner. Good morning Erasa. How are you today?"

Sharpner smirked and stretched his biceps. "I'm doing well, thanks for asking." He turned to Erasa. "Hey Erasa, are you doing anything after school today?"

The busty blond teen looked up from her scrupulously kept nails. "Not really Sharpie. Do you have plans?"

"I just thought you might like to…"

The conversation went on completely without Gohan's involvement. This kind of exclusion was normal so he didn't think anything of it. He tried being friendly with everyone, but no one really wanted to be friendly with him. Well, except when they wanted help with homework.

The young saiyan's eyes wandered around the classroom. Class hadn't officially started yet and students were still filtering in. He spotted Videl entering the room and bounced his eyes over to the window. _Just think positive. She might want nothing to do with you today. _

Videl walked up to her seat between Erasa and Sharpner. As she passed by Gohan she paused.

"Hey Gohan."

Gohan swallowed nervously. "Hey Videl."

"…"

"…" Videl moved to her seat quietly. Erasa and Sharpner greeted her as always and continued with their aforementioned conversation.

That was it. No questions, no intense stare… nothing!

Gohan was stunned! His perplexed gaze tracked her every move.

_That's it? _Gohan's head was spinning. _No 'Hello where were you at 4pm yesterday afternoon' or 'Good morning tell me what shoe size you're wearing' or anything? _Gohan felt strangely disappointed. _Usually she hits me with a questionnaire! What is up with her this morning? I wonder if she's in trouble. Is she feeling alright? Wait… is this all a plot of some kind?_ Maybe she was planning something…

The teacher entered the classroom a few minutes later and began teaching. Gohan's mind swam with potential situations in which Videl accosted him and forced him to spill the beans. He nervously glanced in her direction. She seemed normal enough. No sly smirks, no focused stare… She looked bored with the lesson maybe, but normal. His thoughts then turned from paranoid to concern. Maybe she had a bad morning.

_I should try to cheer her up. _ He resolved. A few seconds later his resolve crumbled. _What am I thinking? We aren't even friends._ Another glance in Videl's direction and his thought process changed again. _Maybe… maybe she gave up on finding me out? Is… is she… giving up?_ Gohan thought about that for a moment. _No. She is way too determined to give up so easy. That's part of why I think she'd make a good friend._ He sighed. _Not like that is going to happen anytime soon._

Gohan turned from his thoughts and tried to focus on whatever the teacher was saying. _I'm over thinking this. I'll just have to take it as it comes._

* * *

Videl caught Gohan glancing at her again. She smiled to herself. _He looked like really didn't know what to do with himself_. She had foregone the practice of questioning him this morning. It seemed to have thrown the poor boy for a loop.

She fought down a chuckle. _This might actually be fun!_

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the moment. The students streamed out of the classroom towards the cafeteria. Lunch was a time to chat with friends, gossip about irrelevant things, and stuff your face.

Gohan waited until most of his classmates left before heading up to the rooftop for lunch. He didn't like to eat with so many other people around. They already had him pegged as weirdo and he was sure that if anyone saw the amount he ate for lunch…

He shuddered. _Nope. I am not about to be ostracized for a massive appetite. I get enough teasing and crap as it is. _He settled himself on the rooftop. _But you know what? I don't mind the view up here. _OSH was in the city, but it was a tall enough building to give a half decent view of the area. Pulling out the capsule holding his lunch, Gohan paused.

Videl appeared around the corner and made her way towards him. _Maaaaaaan… _The saiyan teen shoved the capsule back in his pocket with a face full of disappointment. _Guess lunch is will have to wait._ His stomach rumbled in protest. _Don't worry, she won't be here long… hopefully._

"Oh, hello Videl." Gohan smiled awkwardly, "What brings you up here?"

She shrugged. "Nothing much. I just noticed that you usually leave around lunchtime. I thought I'd invite you to eat with us."

"… W-what?"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Videl's eyes narrowed. "You think you're too good to eat lunch with us?"

"N-no!" Gohan waved his hands in the air in front of him. "Not at all! It's just that you have never asked me before!"

"Well I'm asking you now!"

"But is it okay with…"

"Sharpner and Erasa won't care one way or the other." She interrupted. "Are you coming or not?!"

Gohan's eyes were as round as dinner plates. "Uh… S-sure." He smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'll come eat with you guys."

"Good." She turned on her heel and started towards the door. "Hurry it up."

Gohan got up off the ground to follow her. Thoughts were whirling around and around in his head, making Gohan feel dizzier by the minute.

… _What just happened?_

Minutes later, Gohan sat with Sharpner, Erasa, and a few other classmates at a lunch table. In front of the poor bewildered boy was a school lunch. Looking down, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Even without his heightened senses he could smell the noxious fumes rising from the mush in front of him.

He gently pushed it away from him. _Nope._ Yeah he had a garbage disposal unit for a stomach, but that didn't mean he wanted actual garbage inside it.

Sharpner laughed openly at the disgust on Gohan's face. "It's hard to believe that stuff they pass off as food in here." His usual smug face softened as he patted the young man on the back. "You should've seen what we had last year. I still have nightmares."

"Yeah, that shiz was nasty!" Erasa made a face. "Half the school was pitching up after an hour." She gestured to the pink flowery lunchbox in front of her. "Those who were there learned to pack a lunch."

"And those who forget, regret." Intoned another student across the table. Everyone chuckled at the table, Gohan included.

Videl scowled as she looked down at her mush covered lunch tray. "Yeah well, I think I'd rather starve today." She pushed it away and turned to Sharpner. "What did you bring for lunch?"

"No way Videl. You ain't getting any of this sweet, delicious-"

A low rumble cut him off mid-sentence. Everyone at the table grinned slightly at the noise.

Videl looked up at the ceiling. "Wow. I didn't think the storm was coming until after school."

"Yeah… aheh." Gohan laughed nervously. _Stupid stomach. Glad I had breakfast. It would be way too loud to pass off as anything besides a lion._

Erasa sent a smirk over at Videl. "It's strange, but it sounded really, really close by."

"Well actually…" Gohan began, but was cut off by another rumbling noise. This time, it obviously came from him. "…that was me."

Everyone sat stunned for a moment. Gohan squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, awaiting the deluge of questions and outright bullying to fly at him. _This is going to suck._

"HA!" Sharpner burst out laughing. Most everyone else at the table followed in laughter.

_It wasn't that funny… _Gohan thought sullenly to himself. As the laughter faded to chuckles, he gave a start when Erasa elbowed him.

"That was hilarious!" She grinned at him. "I guess you're really hungry Gohan!"

"Yeah," Sharpner chuckled, "did you skip breakfast or something?"

"No, but I have a big appetite normally anyway." Gohan was caught off guard. No one thought that was strange? "But was it really that funny?"

"Well yeah!" Erasa giggled. "Who knew that Gohan had an appetite to rival Videl's?"

"Videl?"

"Totally." She leaned in closer and whispered to Gohan. "Just wait a little while and you'll hear it."

"Huh." Gohan glanced over at Videl. She was staring longingly at Sharpner's cheeseburger.

The students at the lunch table started laughing again when they heard the growl of Videl's stomach. It was different from the roar that came out of Gohan's, but it was close enough to get them in fits. Gohan found himself laughing along with them.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Videl felt her face burning. She sent a glare around the table that just made them all laugh harder. It wasn't her fault that she always forgot to pack a lunch.

Her glare became fiercer as she saw Gohan laughing with the rest of them. _That punk!_ Her thoughts softened a bit as she remembered his discomfort earlier. _At least he's starting to loosen up a bit._

"Guess we have more in common than I thought." She said reaching for Sharpner's burger.

"Oh nuh-uh!" The blond teen moved it out of her reach. "I have boxing practice later today and I need my strength."

Videl leaned over further. "And I have to stop criminals all day long! If anyone needs to keep up their strength, it's me!"

Sharpner's smile turned devilish. "I'll trade it to you for some sugar." He made a kissy face. "How's about it babe?"

A few seconds later, Sharpner was on the ground clutching the side of his face. Videl stood above him, rubbing her knuckles.

"You know what? I'm not that hungry anymore!" She grinned maliciously. "Thanks Sharpner!"

He gulped and moved back to the table. "No problem." He muttered.

Videl returned to her seat and high-fived Erasa. "Score, Videl: 348, Sharpner: 0!"

Erasa giggled and passed her friend an apple. Soon they were swapping and trading all over the table. This was a normal thing as no one wanted to eat the school lunches. Videl glanced over at Gohan. He didn't look like he packed anything today. She tossed him a pack of crackers that someone gave her.

"Here Gohan." She called, "It's not much, but it'll help you get through the day."

Gohan looked up, startled. "Oh! Thanks Videl, but I did pack a lunch." He passed the crackers back to her.

"Really?" Erasa piped up, mouth full of a PB&amp;J.

"Yeah, but I usually eat alone. Like you said, I have a big appetite."

"Hmmm..." Videl said around a bite of apple, "Well don't worry about that too much. We won't judge."

Murmurs of agreement came from around the table. Videl smiled as Gohan brightened visibly. _This kid is too easy._ She watched as he took out a small capsule. The others cleared him a space as he hit the button and tossed it on the tabletop. After a small explosion and some smoke, audible gasps filled the air.

A veritable mountain of food had appeared! There were sandwiches, onigiri, chips, sushi, fruit, and all kinds of lunchtime foods.

_Whoa! _Videl almost choked on a piece of apple._ He wasn't kidding when he said he had a big appetite!_

"Wow Gohan!" She managed after a moment or two. "Are you going to eat all that?"

"Well no," He looked uncomfortable and somehow disappointed as he spoke, "my mom over prepares for everything." He gestured at the food mountain. "You guys can have some if you want."

"Yeah!" Shouts and whoops came from around the table as hungry students fell to upon the food.

Videl was surprised. She definitely didn't think that this would ever have happened when she invited the reclusive student to lunch. _At least he's nice enough to share._ She took a bite out of a chicken sandwich and closed her eyes in rapture. _This is delicious!_

"Your mom is a great cook Gohan!" Her statement made the boy pause from stuffing an onigiri in his mouth. Videl grinned and said, "This is some of the best food I've had in a long time!"

As similar comments came from other students at his table, Gohan blushed. "Thanks. I'll pass on the compliments."

"Yahkno Gohawn," Sharpner said around a mouthful of food, "yoo ain't 'aff bad."

"Told you so Sharpie!" Erasa stuck her tongue out. "I knew he was a good guy!"

"No, you said he was a _good-looking_ guy!" One of the other girls called out. Erasa blushed and threw a pudding cup at her.

The girl ducked and the pudding cup (God rest its soul) splattered on the back of the guy behind her. The guy, who was one of the bigger jocks in school, turned around and stared at Erasa angrily. Panicking, she pointed at Gohan.

Videl watched as Gohan's eyes went wide. She was about to stand up for the boy when the jock grabbed a plate of the school's mush and sent it flying at Gohan's face. It was like she was watching it in slow motion as it reached his head.

But it never hit him.

Videl's own eyes grew wide as Gohan somehow dodged it. _I didn't even see him move! How did he..._ Her thoughts were cut off as a yelp sounded from behind him. Spinning around, another boy launched a plate full of what looked like creamed corn into the back of another girl's head. A third boy, sensing the situation was escalating, stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"FOOD FIIIIIIIIIGHT!" And with that, all out war began.

* * *

There are times in a highschooler's life where you want to go against the crowd. Unfortunately, this was not one of those cases. Nearly everyone joined in the massive food fight.

Gohan ducked under a table after getting splattered with who-knows-what in the back. He chose not to dodge anything else after seeing the expression on Videl's face after that first plate of mush.

He watched as people whipped food at one another in a type of battle frenzy. _This is something that Vegeta might appreciate._ A lone cookie rolled by, only to get squashed by a pair of running feet. _Then again… this much food going to waste might just get him angry. _The teen saiyan let out a sad sigh. _There goes my lunch._

"Scoot over Gohan!"

Gohan moved over and let another person under the table. He was surprised to see Videl wriggle in beside him and stare out at the mayhem.

"Is this normal?" Gohan ventured unsteadily. If this was something that happened on a daily basis, then there was no way he was coming back to school.

Videl stared at him a moment before a laughing loudly. An honest to goodness belly laugh. He had never heard Videl laugh before. Gohan tilted his head. It was a good sound.

"Of course it's not normal!" She giggled. "This only happens once in a while. Usually when the student body is too stressed out. I guess today is the day they finally let loose."

"Huh. But did they really have to waste all that food?"

"Gohan, is food the only thing on your brain?"

His stomach growled faintly. "Right now it is." He hadn't gotten to eat much of anything. At least, compared to normal.

Videl flashed him a mischievous grin. "Well, have some more!" She shouted before shoving a handful of rice in his hair.

"HEY!" He brushed his hands furiously through his hair. "Oh it's on now!" Gohan called as she dashed out from under the table. Looking around for some ammo, he paused. A strange feeling was bubbling up inside him. It felt fluttery and oddly violent. The teen shook his head and wrote the faintness it caused off as adrenaline. His eyes happened upon wad of bread, perhaps the remains of one of the many sandwiches his mom prepared. Snagging it, Gohan chucked it after Videl.

He felt a sense of satisfaction watching it bounce off her back. It earned him a yell and some retaliation. The feeling that the teen experienced earlier eased slightly and he was able to forget about it. Gohan came out from under the table and engaged fully in the war, laughing along with everyone else. The teenaged saiyan didn't throw anything too fast or too hard, nor did he dodge anything. What better way to have fun than to do it at their level?

And boy was it ever fun!

* * *

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The principal screamed over the din in the cafeteria.

Everyone froze.

"I want whoever started this to come here RIGHT NOW." The principal was absolutely furious.

Erasa trembled. She was covered as was the rest of the student body with bits of food. Videl frowned at her across the room. She knew how much trouble the blond would be in. Erasa had never gotten in trouble before and knew that this would really hurt the poor girl. The raven haired girl mustered her courage to speak up when another voice beat her to the punch.

"It was me sir." Gohan rose from underneath a table. He had rice all through his hair and all over his red vest. There was even rice stuck in his eyebrows. It was like a rice-splosion had happened! (Heh, Gohan gohan)

Videl gaped openly as Gohan walked up to the principal. Why was he taking the fall for Erasa? _He barely knows us for heaven's sake!_ She pushed through a few other students and ran up in front of the boy.

"No! It was me! I'm the one who started it!" Gohan stared at her, clearly shocked. Eventually he also turned his gaze to the principal.

The principal looked from Videl to Gohan, a faint look of amusement crossing over his features. "I see." He glared at the student body behind him. "Everyone go get cleaned up! These two will follow me to the office. If I hear one word from ANY of you, you will be joining them! AM I CLEAR?!"

A chorus of 'yes sir' was heard as the students scrambled off to the locker rooms to find some cleaner clothes. Erasa shot Videl a grateful look as they passed her on the way to the office.

"Wait here." The principal said, gesturing to the seats in the waiting room. "And try not to get any of your mess on the floor." He turned and entered the office, closing the door behind him.

Gohan and Videl sat in silence. Each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Videl looked sidelong at Gohan. _Why would he do that? I thought his studies were too important for him to get in trouble. _She studied his profile. _I guess I need to rethink how I see him. He's not a bad guy after all. __Still a total nerd, but not a bad guy.  
_

Gohan turned his head and met her eyes. She held his gaze stubbornly, refusing to look away.

Suddenly, he spoke. "Why did you do that?"

Videl let out a small laugh. "Why did you?"

Gohan sighed. "Well, Erasa didn't mean to start a food fight. She shouldn't get in trouble for that. Besides, most of the food tossed about in the fight was mine."

"So you felt responsible?"

"Sort of."

"Well that was pretty dang decent of you. Especially since Erasa blamed you for the first throw."

Gohan cracked a grin. "Thanks." They sat in slightly more comfortable silence for a moment.

"But it was also pretty stupid."

Gohan's face was incredulous. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you barely know Erasa. Why would you take the fall for someone you didn't know?"

"I could ask the same of you Videl. Why take part of the blame?"

She stiffened. "Because it wasn't your fault! It was the right thing to do!"

He relaxed back into the chair, closing his eyes. "Well, there you have it. It was the right thing to do."

Videl let out a huff of frustration. Gohan merely chuckled.

After another moment of silence, Gohan opened his eyes to look curiously at Videl. "Why did you invite me to lunch?"

"Well remember what I said yesterday?" Videl said, "I felt bad for being too hard on you and figured I should give you a chance."

"Oh."

The awkward silence returned.

"… "

"… Thanks Videl."

She smiled to no one in particular. "Sure thing Gohan."

* * *

The principal had let them off easy. He knew that both of them were covering for someone and figured that having them clean the cafeteria after the food fight would be punishment enough. How did he know that they were covering? He overheard their conversation of course. He is the principal for a reason you know.

Actually, Gohan was more surprised that Videl hadn't pursued how he was able to dodge that first plateful of food. _She was probably distracted by the massive amount food flying everywhere. Lucky!_

Gohan flew through the rain. His Saiyaman disguise held water like no other, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Especially after cleaning the cafeteria. Videl and Gohan worked hard for 2 hours after school cleaning the place from top to bottom. It wasn't bad, but he had to keep from rushing himself. Gohan estimated that he'd have it done in half an hour using speed, but he supposed that this was like training to keep hidden.

It took forever to get it all done. Videl was so focused on cleaning that neither of them said a word to each other besides "you missed a spot" and "my mom will kill me". But it was still nice. You can spend time with someone, not say a word, and still feel companionship. Even prisoners feel the same way with a cellmate. You go through some stuff together and you feel a little more connected.

Gohan had phoned his mom earlier to let her know what had happened. His ears were still ringing after that tirade. Sure to get even more chewed out when he got home, Gohan dragged his feet, figuratively speaking.

_Maybe she'll let me off the hook after I explain myself a bit._ Gohan shook his head. _Nah. Fat chance of that. I think it'd be easier to get struck by lightning._

In response, a bolt of lightning lit the sky around him. Gohan tasted the electricity and sent his own surge of power into the air. The helmet he was wearing trembled at the power barely contained beneath it. The red cape that fluttered behind him took up a glow of its own. The saiyan teen powered up and down swiftly, pretending that he was a lightning bolt. He kept his power level close enough so that it could have been mistaken for another electric surge. No need to freak people out by going to a higher level than expected. Sometimes it's good to have your own little secrets.

A great boom of thunder echoed around him, mostly from his own sudden energy than the lightning bolt. Gohan looked around eagerly for another bolt until the strange feeling that he had earlier resurfaced. This time it was stronger and more demanding than before! Trying to fight it made him feel faint. Nevertheless, he was able to shove it down again when he heard a voice in the distance.

"GOHAN! GOOOOOOHAAAAAAN!" Goten shouted as loud as he could.

"Goten!" A smile that rivaled the storm broke over Gohan's face. "You came to meet me!" He floated over to meet the nimbus that carried his little brother.

"Yeah! You promised we could go flying in the storm!" Goten peeked out from under his over-sized yellow rain coat. You could only see his eyes and a few locks of black hair.

"That's right! Sorry about that squirt." Gohan hefted Goten onto his back. "We had a big fight at school today and I had to clean it up."

"A fight?! What kind of fight?" Goten's excited voice was muffled from the large raincoat.

"A food fight."

"Did you win?"

"Uh... I don't think so. It wasn't that kind of fight."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"It was mostly for fun. People started throwing food all over the place."

"Wow! That DOES sound like fun!" Goten grinned. "I betcha you made a big mess!"

"That's why I had to stay late and clean it up."

"OOOOH. I get it."

Gohan laughed and spun up higher into the air. From there, he shot into the darkest looking cloud, looking for lightning to show his little brother.

"Okay! Hang on tight Goten!"

Gohan flew through the storm, racing the streaks of light and they blazed past. Goten let out a high-pitched squeal and hung on tightly to his big brother.

On they went, through rain and lightning. Racing the thunder as it rolled out over the mountains where they lived. Goten let out loud whoops, rising and falling through the air. The rain pelted their faces, the wind buffeted their bodies. There was complete silence for a moment then torrential sound the next. Every moment the boys felt the rush of life, energy, and freedom. They reveled in the storm, in the flight, and in the brotherhood the shared.

And then Gohan got struck by lightning.

With a loud crack, lightning struck the two boys out of nowhere. Gohan felt the energy from the lightning bolt begin to burn. Fearing for his little brother, Gohan instead sucked the bolt out of the air and into his body. He swiftly powered up to super saiyan and let out the combined energy pulse. Goten clung tightly to his back as the raw power swept over him. It dispersed in a flash and dissipated into the surrounding mountains. In addition, the strange feeling he was wrestling with dissipated along with the energy surge. It was still there, but was now way more manageable.

"Gohan! Are you oka-"

The thunder that came back from the pulse shook the boys down in their core. It had bounced off the mountains to come back with a vengeance. They threw their hands over their ears and waited.

After a few moments Gohan took his hands away from his head. "You okay there squirt?"

Goten, eyes wide, replied. "Yeah."

They stared at each other for a second. Goten's face abruptly split into a huge grin. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" He squealed loudly.

Gohan laughed outright. "You liked that huh?"

"Can I do that too?" Goten asked, powering up to super saiyan.

"Nope. I told mom that we wouldn't play with lightning. Sorry little man, but maybe next time alright?"

"Aww, but you did it just now!"

Gohan frowned at his little brother. "That was an accident. If I hadn't dispersed that power, we'd look like Mr. Brief's cat after a bath!"

"You mean all poofy and stuff?"

"Ayep."

Goten giggled and powered down. "Let's do that next time then!"

"Crazy kid!" Gohan chuckled, finally heading home.

"Hey Gohan, what happened to your outfit?"

"Huh?"

Gohan looked down at himself. His costume had vanished and his normal clothes were now on him. They looked weird though… like they were too thin in some places. He glanced over at his watch. It was shooting sparks and flickering like mad.

_Geez. It's just my luck that a lightning bolt shorts out my disguise. Guess I'll have to make a pit stop._ He turned his head to look at Goten.

"Hey Goten, how about we go…" He stopped mid sentence.

The little saiyan frowned. "Go where big brother?" Gohan looked really strange. Kinda spacey. He tapped him on the head a bit.

"Gohan? Are you okay?"

Gohan's blank look swapped out with one of confusion. _That feeling is back! After only a few minutes reprise, I feel it again!_ The sensation was no longer merely violent, but dominating! It threatened to overwhelm his consciousness. _I have to get Goten out of here! I have to fight whatever this is! _Gohan brought Goten off his back and looked him straight in the eye.

"Goten, take nimbus… and go get mom for me okay?" _Why is it... getting harder… to think?_

"Gohan what's the matter?"

Gohan shook his head, feeling the more faintness come over him as he fought to stay in control of his mind. "I'm not sure… But…" Heat surged under his skin and he struggled to stay in the air. "I feel really... strange and… can't quite…" The energy within him fluctuated erratically. Gohan felt his consciousness fade. The saiyan teen gradually lost control of his ki and started to fall, "I can't… You must…"

"Big brother!"

They spun out of control towards the earth. Goten screamed for nimbus and clutched his brother tightly. At the last moment, nimbus came swooping out of the sky to catch them. Goten was crying and blubbering about getting home to mom. Nimbus took the hint and flew them right to Mt. Paozu.

Goten tried to wake the older saiyan. Tears streamed down his face as shook his brother's shoulders.

Gohan… was out cold.

* * *

What happened? Did… did Gohan just die? NO WAIT. He's the main character. Derrr.  
Here have a curve-ball/cliffhanger jobby! I was gonna write more to put in this chapter, but I don't want to publish too much at one time. :3

SPARE MY LIFE. Also R&amp;R for the lovelies pls.


	3. Unexpected Changes

EVERYBODY SHUT UP.  
Did you know how much fanart is out there? DID YOU?  
Everyone around the world loves DBZ. AND I HAD NO IDEA.  
I am filled with joy at the creative minds that I see here on and all over the interwebs in the form of fanart. Thank you all so much for sharing something that brought such joy.

It makes me so happy. :'D

I know I'm a noob. ._.

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own DBZ or any characters therein. I don't even own the nimbus. ;_;  
BTW language warning. No F-bombs though.

Ch 3: Unexpected Changes

* * *

Grabbing the popcorn, Bulma Briefs headed into the living room. Tonight was a night for settling down to watch a movie with her husband and son. This rare occurrence happened only once a month in the Brief household. After all, nothing but _nothing_ was going to interrupt the prince of all 3 saiyans' training time. Only after blackmailing the man into submission was Bulma able to make him stop long enough to spend quality time with the family. Vegeta had argued that movies were stupid and a waste of his time. After all, why watch a movie about things exploding when you could go out and do it yourself?

Trunks felt the same way. Mostly because he thought his father could do no wrong. Honestly though, Trunks was happy that Vegeta was spending time with them tonight. It was happening more often after Trunks showed him that he could become a super saiyan. Vegeta had been slowly opening up to his family. Not like he'd ever admit that though.

Bulma snuggled up to her husband as the movie began to play. _This is nice._ She thought to herself. _I wish this could happen more often._

Vegeta looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Trunks hopped up to take the space on his lap. He growled gently, earning him a grin from his wife and son.

"Pesky brat." He muttered as they all relaxed in front of the television.

They were about halfway through the movie when the phone rang.

"I got it!" shouted Trunks. He sped off towards the kitchen, leaving Bulma and Vegeta alone.

The prince of all saiyans looked about nervously. Public displays of affection were not his cup of tea. Better to make sure that the coast was clear. After checking the area for potential interruptions, Vegeta took this opportunity to kiss his wife. Bulma, not willing to be outdone, pulled Vegeta deeper into the kiss. The flame haired alien let out a rumble of contentment. Perhaps this rare opportunity should happen more often. Bulma smiled into the kiss, knowing that even though he didn't say it much, Vegeta loved her and their son.

"Oh gross. Do that somewhere else would ya?"

Vegeta broke off the kiss and scowled at his offspring. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bulma interrupted.

"What is it Trunks?"

Trunks shifted uncomfortably. "Goten's mom is on the phone. She sounds real upset over something. Said it's important that she talks to you, mom."

Vegeta grunted. "What does that harpy want now?"

Bulma punched him on the shoulder before leaving the room. Trunks walked over and rested his chin on his father's knee.

"She said something about Gohan getting sick."

"Saiyan warriors do not entertain illness."

"Yeah, but she says he's got a fever and that he won't wake up."

"It's that weakling's human side showing up."

"Dad?" Trunks looked up, eyes growing watery. "Is Gohan gonna die?"

Vegeta sighed. "No. Unfortunately that idiot is not going to die." He placed a hand on his son's head. "The only way that a warrior should die is in battle. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Vegeta settled back on the couch.

"B-but what if he-"

"If I go talk to the woman, will you leave it alone?!" He spat.

Trunks nodded. Vegeta grudgingly got up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen. A worried voice could be heard, growing louder as he entered the kitchen.

"Well what if it's just… I know but that was a onetime thing. I don't think that… well not that I know of… But what could… Please Chichi! You need to calm down!" Bulma looked up from the phone to Vegeta, eyes full of worry. "Okay, tell me his symptoms again?"

She wrote quickly on a notepad that rested beside the phone. Vegeta casually looked over her shoulder at what she was writing. Abruptly, he snatched the phone out of her hands.

Ignoring Bulma's protests, he spoke. "Is he still breathing?"

"Wha… Who is this?!"

"Is he still _breathing_?"

"Well yes but I…"

"How old is he?"

"Vegeta, is that you?! I swear to Kami if you are screwing with me I'll-"

"How _old_ is _he_?!"

"S-seventeen! Technically he's eighteen b-because of that year in the space-time room thingy!"

Vegeta seemed to do a series of brief calculations in his head. His eyes widened.

"We'll be over in 20 minutes."

And with that he hung up the phone.

Bulma felt bewildered. She followed him back to the living room where he was giving gruff instructions to Trunks.

"We are going to the home of Kakarrot. You may accompany us as long as you promise to stay out of the way."

"Yeah! I promise!" Trunks shouted. "Just lemme get that game I wanted to show Goten." He dashed off to his room.

"What's going on?" Bulma looked to her husband. "Vegeta, do you know what's wrong with Gohan?"

He nodded. The perpetual scowl on his face softened slightly at the sight of fear on her face. Vegeta pulled her into a short embrace before heading to their room.

"Don't worry woman. The child isn't going to die." He looked over his shoulder at Bulma. "Retrieve those sedatives from your lab as well at that scouter you've been repairing. We will need it."

Bulma watched as he turned the corner and out of sight. _Oh Gohan, what have you gotten yourself into now kid?_

* * *

Chichi looked down at her son, eyes filled with worry. It had been over 2 hours since Goten had brought him in on the nimbus and there was still no sign of him waking up. The storm outside continued to rage, but Gohan remained unaware of it.

Poor Goten was distraught. He wouldn't leave Gohan's side for anything. Chichi had eventually coaxed what happened out of him, but it was a confusing tale at best. Apparently Gohan had saved them from a lightning strike. Feelings of frustration surfaced within the worried mother. Hadn't she told them to be careful with lightning? Chichi grew more fearful as the moments passed. Were saiyans weak to lightning?

In a panic, she called her dear friend Bulma. Chichi knew that the blue haired genius had dealt with saiyans for longer than she had. If anyone could help, it had to be her. Chichi was more than surprised to talk to Vegeta who told her that they would be coming over. For the cold, impersonal man to take an interest… what exactly was happening to her son?

She shook off her thoughts. Instead, the worried mother snagged a fresh towel and hurried upstairs to Gohan's room. The teen lay on his bed, burning with what they thought was a fever. Shallow and ragged breaths escaped his lips like he had trained too hard for too long. Gohan's muscles were tight and his jaw clenched as if he was in horrible pain.

Goten looked up from his place at his brother's side. Tears still staining his face. "His ki is so strange. It keeps changing. Is… is he g-gonna be okay mommy?"

After changing out the cloth over his brow, she knelt beside her youngest and took his hand. "I hope so Goten."

Goten sniffed back more tears as he felt his friend's ki approaching. "T-Trunks is here?"

"Oh! That'll be Bulma! She said they were coming over to help!" Chichi rushed downstairs followed by Goten.

She opened the door and let Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks in out of the rain.

"Thank you so much for coming! I didn't know what to do and…" The dam holding back Chichi's emotions broke as Bulma came in the house.

Bulma grabbed her up in a hug. "It's okay, it's okay. We're here." She led the weeping mother into the living room to hear her tale. Chichi babbled about Goku's heart condition while fighting the androids and other possibilities that could've hurt her sweet baby boy. Bulma did her best to give the woman peace from her fears, leaving the boys in the kitchen.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. He muttered something about foolish female sentimentality before heading up the stairs into Gohan's room. Trunks and Goten shot each other a worried look before chasing after him.

* * *

Upon reaching Gohan's room, Vegeta fought down the surprise he felt while looking at the boy. Gohan's body was tense. Every muscle strained against some unseen force. _He's to this point already. _Vegeta placed a hand over the boy's eyes. _His ki has already become too unstable. If something isn't done soon…_ Vegeta looked over at the two boys behind him. _But I must be sure._

"Get downstairs." He said to Trunks. "Go fetch the women."

Trunks was off like a shot. Vegeta turned his gaze to Goten. "Go with him." Goten nodded and dashed after his best friend.

Vegeta glared down at the tense form on the bed. Grunting, he set his hands under Gohan's side and swiftly flipped him over.

There on his lower back, sprouted a brown fuzzy tail.

Vegeta cursed softly and ran a hand through his hair. _It figures._ Footsteps pounded up the stairs behind him. He turned to face the Bulma and the boy's mother.

"How long has he been like this?" He asked Chichi, folding his arms across his chest.

"Th-three hours." She said, voice choppy from weeping.

Vegeta cursed slightly louder. Bulma shot him a warning glance before speaking.

"What's wrong with him."

Vegeta shot her a pointed look. "Nothing out of the ordinary for a growing saiyan."

Bulma's jaw dropped. "You mean this," She pointed at the shaking Gohan, "is _normal_?!"

"Yes." He frowned, looking down at the boy. "Though it is rarely so harsh."

"Now y-you listen here mister!" Chichi pushed past Bulma and got right up in Vegeta's grille. Her voice steadied as she began ranting at the short muscular form in front of her. "I d-don't care if this is normal for you, you blood sucking murderous freak! I need to know what's happening to my baby boy!" Tears once again began working their way down her face. "A-and if you don't tell me RIGHT NOW what is going on with MY SON… I'll have to… I'll…"

Vegeta pushed her away roughly. "Shut your trap banshee." The saiyan prince gestured to Gohan. "He is going through a stage in the saiyan life cycle."

"What do you mean _stage_?!" Chichi's tear stained glare darkened. "I swear if you are lying to me I'll…"

"I have no need to lie to you, witch." Vegeta's eyes met Bulma's instead. "He is going through something every saiyan experiences."

"Which is?" Bulma encouraged.

Vegeta frowned for a moment. "In the common tongue I believe it's called… puberty."

Bulma and Chichi were silent. Their jaws hanging wide.

"What." Chichi managed.

Bulma shook her head. "That makes no sense. Gohan already hit puberty."

"Foolish woman. Changes to his body… sexually (you dirty minded people!) … are not what I mean." His brow furrowed as he searched for the appropriate words. "After a period of immense physical growth, saiyans of about his age go through… something akin to a rite of passage."

Chichi gasped. "It was only last year that Gohan suddenly got taller!"

"Goku did the same thing right before the World Martial Arts Tournament." Bulma supplied. She remembered the little shrimp that was Goku before he reappeared as a 6 foot heartthrob.

"Yes. From what you have told me of the incident, that is when Goku completed his rite." Vegeta said, smirking at his wife. She picked up things quickly.

"What are you talking about? Rite of passage? What even is that? How come nothing like this ever happened to Goku then?" Chichi rambled.

Vegeta glared at her. "Gohan is going through this because _someone_ kept him from sparring with me."

"Why I'll have you know…!" Chichi began, but Bulma interrupted her .

"Wait wait… That whole debacle at the WMAT was some sort of insane rite of passage? You have a lot of explaining to do mister jerk-of-all-saiyans!" Bulma scowled at the saiyan prince. "And besides, Gohan trained by himself constantly! Surely training has nothing to do with it?"

"Yes and no." Vegeta ignored the insult and turned to look out the window. "Saiyans are beings of unlimited potential. There are points where that potential needs testing. The best way to do this is in battle. If they are not tried, _bitvachitk_ consumes them until they reach what their current limit of power is."

"_bitvachitk_?" Repeated Bulma, testing out the foreign word. "What's that?"

Vegeta growled in frustration. "Cursed human language! It's…" He searched for the correct translation. "… battle lust."

Birds flew from the forest as the mighty shriek of Chichi exploded from the small house.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Vegeta covered his ears. Downstairs, the two boy saiyans clapped their hands to the sides of their heads. That was louder than the thunder in the storm!

Gohan stayed unconscious through it all.

Keeping his hands over his ears, Vegeta tried to retaliate.

"He is in this state because he is suppressing it!" He shouted over the din. Pointing to Gohan with his elbow, he said, "See for yourself!"

Chichi took one look at Gohans brand new tail and fainted dead away.

Vegeta allowed a short expression of relief. "Friggin' near blew my ears out." He muttered.

Bulma stared at Vegeta. "You have some serious explaining to do Vegeta."

"Now is not the time woman."

"I realize that. What do you need to do?"

"He must find his limit."

"And how do you propose to do that?

The prince smirked. "How else?" There was only one good way to stabilize Gohan's ki. Vegeta relished the idea of beating the sorry brat into oblivion. He removed his button down shirt and tossed it at Bulma. She'd have his hide if he tore up another one.

Bulma's eyes widened as Vegeta began limbering up. She figured that it'd be something like this. Violence seemed to be Vegeta's answer to everything. Frankly, she didn't know of any other solution herself. Haltingly, she moved to rest Chichi against a wall.

"What do you want me to do?"

The flame haired man looked up at her, surprised. He'd been expecting some sort of protest. _I guess she understands how dangerous this is._ He continued stretching.

"Prepare the sedatives and scouter. When we leave, use the scouter to track the energy coming from Kakkarot's spawn." His eyes narrowed. "If it becomes too great a threat, signal me or that green freak outside the window."

Bulma nearly screamed as she saw Piccolo hovering outside the second story window. She put a one hand to her heart. With the other, she motioned for Piccolo to come inside. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it." Piccolo grunted as he came in the window and out of the rain. Strangely enough none of his clothes were wet. "I felt Gohan's energy spike strangely and fluctuate. Coming here, I find Vegeta arriving with you all. I figured it must've been important and stayed around to find out." He turned his gaze to Vegeta. "I'll watch your fight. If you fail, I will take your place."

"I do not need your help, weakling! I will not fall to the likes of this disgusting excuse for a warrior!" Vegeta said. The words had come out by rote, due to his pride being insulted. But he'd welcomed the namekian's presence. Any warrior worth his salt would know not to mess with a hormonal saiyan, Vegeta included.

"Uh-huh. Sure thing Vegeta." Piccolo smirked. He and the saiyan prince had come to a mutual understanding of each other over the years. They still didn't like each other, yet they had found familiarity with each other's demeanor.

Vegeta snarled at Piccolo before turning back to Bulma. "The sedatives you designed for me should work on the boy as well. Keep the brats close to you. They can get you out faster than that stupid contraption of yours."

"Alright. Be careful okay?"

Vegeta's eyes softened.

"Hn."

Bulma motioned to Piccolo and together they left the room.

The prince stood there alone. Slowly he turned to Gohan's form. Vegeta's hand came up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. Chichi's scream hadn't woken the kid up at all. How was he supposed to fight the brat is he was out cold?

He poked the kid. "Wake up. Dinner's ready."

… Nothing.

_Dang._ Vegeta scowled._ That worked on that fool Kakkarot. _(Lol)

_This is going to be harder than I thought._

Then he remembered the tail. The boy's fluctuating ki had caused it to re-grow. It was a sure sign of Gohan's need to be tested. Perhaps if he…

His own desire to battle rose as he stared at the tail. Yet Vegeta wrestled with himself. _That tail is a limiter. It'll be a weakness in the fight. Do I leave the tail in… give myself a potential advantage… or yank it out and see how high he can go? _Vegeta hesitated further, watching as the newly grown tail twitched beside the boy._ If I give that a good pull…_

After a few seconds more of indecision, he reached over and unceremoniously ripped Gohan's tail off.

* * *

"AUUUUUUUUUGHHH!"

Chichi woke to an inhuman roar of pain. It startled her so rapidly into awareness that she leapt to her feet and assumed a defensive position. Her panicked gaze swept the room. What she saw shocked her.

A young man was kneeling on the bed. His hair was wild, black and spiky. His eyes were glowing red, his canines had grown into veritable fangs that could be plainly seen as he screamed his pain to the skies. Electricity sparked off his clothes and his muscles could be seen through his ragged shirt, tensing and bunching up erratically.

Son Gohan was awake.

* * *

The sound that ripped from Gohan's throat could be heard even out in Satan city. The saiyan teen had awoken to a pain searing through his backside. The feeling was too great to bear, so he let everyone know how it felt. Opening his eyes, he let a murderous glare search the room frantically for the perpetrator of his pain.

There, in the center of the room stood a short, shirtless man. He held a twitching tail in his hand.

_That's MY tail! _How did he know it was his? Gohan snarled at the guy. _Who the hell is this bastard?! _

In his rage, Gohan had lost all sense of who was who. He didn't recognize the man who stood before him.

The man dropped the tail and spoke in a foreign tongue. "_Touziktse louv?"_  
(You desire the hunt?)

"_Prejfi boj._" A language Gohan didn't know sprung unbidden to his lips. _The hell…_  
(I desire the fight.)

"_Touziktse bitva."_ The man replied. His voice was deep and it growled trough his teeth.  
(You desire the battle.)

"_Chcetelin ajit sahkm hodst myich lidi."_ Gohan intoned. He shook his head angrily. Why did he say that? What did that even mean?!  
(To find myself worthy of my people.)

"_Pak. Vyzyvahm tena svout hyrdrosti jakote borjovnik._"  
(So. I challenge you on my pride as a warrior.)

Gohan heard the man shift his tone. Was this guy challenging him?! He snarled and let his ki rise freely. He heard himself speak again.

"_Budush zhoukset svou mouc na vass odvazk._"  
(I shall test my power upon your courage.)

The man looked a little surprised, but continued. "_Budush sen uvolnit svou ceyst na vass vulin._"  
(I shall unleash my honor upon your will.)

"_Kezt rosterme zof tohto krveprolti._"  
(May we grow stronger from this bloodletting.)

"_Abaechyon neza pomnekti svun slibt._"  
(Lest we forget our promise.)

Gohan stirred at that last bit. _What is he saying?!_ His anger and frustration rose. It was something important, but what was it?!

The teenager moved from the bed to stare down at the shorter man. Rage was barely contained beneath his skin. He wanted to fight this guy. Badly. But why? Even as he raged openly, deep down some part of his clung to the wish, the will, the hope, not to fight. His body shook with the restraint.

"_Jste priprangani na met tvar?!_" Gohan's rage carried over in the new language.  
(Are you prepared to face me?!)

The man grinned. His ki flared to match the young man in front of him.

"_ZI SKHODOM MISYATSYA!_" The flame haired man shouted back.  
(As the moon rises!)

Gohan felt something snap within him. Another roar, more animal than human this time tore from his throat. That small want, that small voice deep inside was lost in the feeling of violence that swept through him. Gohan reached for the man in front of him only to find that he had vanished.

Not wasting a moment, Gohan shot out the open window and into the storm. The power of the wind and rain, lightning and thunder only added to his fury. He felt as though nature itself was challenging him. Gritting his teeth, Gohan sent out his senses to search for ki.

It was everywhere. There was ki all around him.

Gohan was shocked into silence.

Everywhere.

It was as if the world has suddenly set itself ablaze. Everything shone with power. He felt himself tense. This planet… no, the _galaxy_ was exploding with power!

Somewhere inside his mind, a faint knowledge gave him reassurance that this was normal. Every living thing had energy. It should be no surprise that everything would be alight with power. But… there was so much of it!

And what about himself?

Gohan glanced down at his body. His hands formed fists as he brought himself up to super saiyan. How did he compare to all the power in the galaxy? Who was he to fight for this planet when it was so obviously stronger than he was?

This, he determined, was what he needed to find out.

Gohan's ki continued to rise. He focused on the storm around him. Energy in the rolling clouds made it seem as though there was a sea of light dancing around his head. It taunted him. Dared him to challenge it. Lightning flickered closer and closer to the young man as if it was seeing how close it could come to make him break.

His eyes narrowed. Energy within him skyrocketed. It seemed that the lightning was drawn to his higher energy. A lightning bolt struck him dead on, but there was no reaction from the teen. Electricity struck Gohan again and again, but he never moved from his position in the sky.

There was no response from Gohan. A memory from his past assaulted him, taking precedence briefly in his mind. The first was when his uncle Raditz had decided to kidnap him. Rage surged through him as he watched his father get beaten horrible. Ignorant to the lightning strikes, Gohan felt the return of self loathing. _If I'd only been strong enough to defeat him…_

With a loud shout, he released a single pulse of energy. It grew out from him to slam into the heart of the thunderstorm. There, Gohan's energy swelled, overwhelming the natural energy of the storm. The wave of energy grew, devouring the rain clouds left and right. The storm dissipated and the natural energy fizzled away before it.

Gohan had beaten a storm.

Ignoring the sense of triumph, the teen turned in place. His senses stretched out once more to seek the original challenger. Finding the ki signature among the other flashes of light before his eyes was difficult, but he did it. Gohan powered up and was off like a shot.

Woe to whatever challenge stands in his way.

* * *

Chichi wobbled her way downstairs. She couldn't believe what she saw! Gohan had turned into a beast-man in front of her eyes!

She collapsed on the couch. When the two men had started speaking in another language Chichi had almost lost it. She watched as her son let loose his energy, tearing up the room with the might of his ki. She watched as he flew out the window after Vegeta, losing all sense of propriety. She watched as Gohan faced the storm and using only his breath, dispersed the wrath of nature.

Confusion mixed with a deep sadness engulfed her mind.

What were they saying? Who was that person that looked like Gohan but so obviously wasn't? What was going on with her son? Why was this have to happen to her family?

Burying her face in her hands, she wept.

"Oh Goku… why didn't you come home?"

* * *

Somewhere in the otherworld, Goku sneezed.

Rubbing his nose, Goku turned to King Kai. "So, when am I allowed to go back and visit earth again?"

"After a 7 year period you're allowed a 24 hour visit back on earth." King Kai said. "Why do you ask?"

Goku turned his eyes to the otherworld sky. "Cause I just got a really bad feeling just now. I hope everything is okay."

* * *

"Where _is_ he?!" Vegeta waited less than patiently in a barren place, miles from the Son house. If it was possible to pace back and forth in the air, Vegeta was doing it. He'd come to a spot far enough away from civilization to lessen the damage this fight would cause. Figuring that distance would create a sort of protection from the power that Gohan would be using.

Vegeta froze momentarily as he felt the spike in Gohan's ki. He watched, amazed, as the storm which had howled about him moments before, vanished.

_What the…_

Gohan's fist connected to the side of Vegeta's jaw, successfully interrupting whatever his thoughts about.

_DAMN_. Vegeta, though caught by surprise, used the momentum of the blow to spin about and catch Gohan in a roundhouse.

Gohan spun to the ground. At the last second he caught himself, touched down briefly before rocketing off the earth with a shout. A crater was left at the place where his foot touched the dirt. In an instant he was back at Vegeta who had powered up to super saiyan as well.

Vegeta pulled his arm back and let fly a huge right straight. Gohan blocked it by pulling up his knee. The resounding sound from punch meeting block sounded more or less like a stick of dynamite going off.

Gohan growled as he responded with a massive kick at Vegeta's ribs. The saiyan prince was able to bring up his elbow to block it. Another explosive sound. Blow for blow they fought, putting all their strength behind each easily telegraphed move. It was beginning to sound as if the storm had never let up. The blows so resembled thunder.

They paused for a second as their gazes met. Vegeta's eyes were full of a strange pride. _This… this boy was fighting like a saiyan!_ How he'd longed for a spar with his own kind! A challenge to test the strength of another!

When was the last time he heard the honor bound words of battle? Vegeta could barely remember. Kakkarot's brat had surprised him when he'd continued the ritual confrontation back in the house. _How'd the kid know any of that?_ Warriors of saiyan descent said the words before each battle within their people. He felt proud of this and how this half-breed was rising to the challenge. _I want to see more! Show me what you've got!_

* * *

Their eyes met and they paused. Gohan's eyes showed confusion and violence. _Why did fighting feel this good?!_ His mind raced. Fighting should only come to pass when there was a need! But, why couldn't he stop?! There was no reason for him to fight this guy! Gohan pulled away and gripped the sides of his head. He started sobbing. _Why do I feel so confused?_

"Weakling."

Gohan snapped his head up. The man floated there, scowling at him. _Weakling._ He remembered the storm. Strength. How did he measure up? What did it mean to be strong enough to protect? Was he strong enough to fight his own battles?

_This guy… _Gohan's gaze hardened. _I've… I've seen him before. He knows something…_ Suddenly, memories assaulted him once again. A flame haired man was beating his father. His father… was in such pain… why…

_I… wasn't strong enough…_ Rage bubbled back to the surface. _I couldn't protect him…_ His energy expanded until he reached his ascended form. Lightning flashed across his skin. His red eyes bored into the man's. _Have… have I changed? Tell me. Am I strong?_

The man seemed unfazed by the furious gaze. So Gohan decided on a different tactic. He fazed behind the man and rained down punches upon his body.

The shirtless man powered up further to match Gohan and blocked the punches. He started sending his own, alternating kicks and different styles of fighting into the mix. The teenage saiyan countered with a mix of techniques. A furious battle began. It was too fast for the human eye, but every so often one could see the two forms locked in struggle.

It was apparent to whoever was watching that there was a difference in the two fighters. Gohan easily overwhelmed the shorter man in speed and power, but fell prey to the multitude of techniques and strategies the guy threw at him. The older man was obviously more experienced and used it to his advantage. It was an intense battle as both were fighting for keeps.

They fought on equal terms for a while, keeping up where the other fell short. But, Gohan felt frustration. _This isn't it…_ He dodged a flurry of ki-blasts. _This isn't it!_ Though he raged and fought furiously, something was missing. His mind swirled around much like the energy in his veins… searching for what was lacking. _There's more… I'm not there yet! _Gohan sought a limit… he sought a greater power… The teenaged saiyan sought the reason for strength.

The younger man seemed to catch on to the other's tactics after a while. He started to mimic the techniques of his opponent. The shorter man had to overcome his own moves thrown back at him. Gohan, though in a primal state of mind, was a quick learner.

Gohan's energy rose steadily, slowly eclipsing his opponent. The flame haired man had somehow caught him in a headlock. Gohan shouted something intelligible and sent out another pulse of energy, forcing the two fighters apart. The terrain around the men continued to change as their bodies slammed into the earth. Without wasting a second, they met on the ground in a flurry of violence.

The man fought wildly, but there were more wounds on his body than before. Gohan increased his power level. He began screaming, forcing the energy in his body to expand. The very force of the energy surrounding him pushed the man back a few feet.

_What am I missing?! _Gohan's hair grew longer. His eyes, red as they were, sparked electricity. _What do I yet lack!?_ His muscles doubled again in size before contracting into hardened boulders of power. Still his energy grew. Gohan roared his feelings to the sky, allowing the ki to run wild in his body. _What is it!? _The ground shook, the air convulsed, and the forest (what was left of it) was blown away.

The man, had Gohan been watching him, was frozen in shock. Battered and bruised he darted towards the edge of the circle of destruction. So wrapped up in his own inner conflict, Gohan didn't notice him return with another person. The tall green man held a syringe in his hand. He handed the needle to the other man saying something that Gohan couldn't hear over his inner dialogue. Gohan didn't even feel the swift prick of the needle that sent sedatives flooding his system.

But he _did_ feel the close presence of the man's ki. Spinning, he backhanded the older man into a nearby mountain. He followed him, the golden glow of his body became a blur as he picked up speed. His punch pushed him clear through to the other side of the mountain. Again they resumed the fight.

The man grit his teeth and tried hard to keep up. It was difficult to keep up with the transforming saiyan. His punches always came a second too late, his kicks never connected. His strength began to fail him.

Suddenly, Gohan's transformation halted. His energy held steady for a moment before receding slowly. Gohan fought on unawares, but his opponent gained hope and redoubled his assault. Punches connected. Kicks left their mark. Ki blasts burned. Blood was shed on both accounts.

His power faltered. His hair became a normal super saiyan length. A drop in 2 power levels made him pause. The teen felt his rage and anger diminish. Rage could only get you so far after all. All his attention became focused on finding his limit… his missing component. His opponent sensed this loss of power and sent the teen plummeting into the earth with a double fisted hammer blow. He followed up with a rain of energy blasts into the pit Gohan's body created.

Gohan felt the blasts of energy drive him deeper into the earth, but wasn't really conscious of it. His mind was racing. The primal feelings stirring in his mind and pushing his body this far wrapped themselves around his intellect. He searched his body for something… anything that revealed who he was.

Power? There was immense power, but that doesn't define a person. After all, his was leaving him… for some stupid reason.

Energy? A deep well with no foreseeable bottom, but how to use it? How to reach the bottom? What kept him from it?

Anger? Rage enough to fuel a lifetime, but useless in the face of that which was missing. Useful in the right place for the right reasons.

_What am I missing?_ Gohan felt his consciousness slip. He let out a groan. The ki attacks had begun to take their toll on his body. Still he held on doggedly.

Life? Plenty of that in these parts.

Intelligence? Got tons of smarts.

Friends? Family?

A faint feeling of resonance echoed from his core. It was like the voice of a long forgotten friend. It brought a sense of excitement in the teen. _I'm close… What is it?!_ His consciousness flickered in and out. Gohan wasn't even aware that the attacks had stopped.

A tired voice rasped above him, interrupting his inner search.

"_Nasli joste svoje mikstod?_"  
(Have you found your place?)

"_Tato bitva,_" Gohan murmured, falling to his base form, "_freste naytkon seyla._"  
(This battle, has not ended.)

_No… No! I'm not done yet! I haven't… I haven't found it yet!_ Gohan's protest never made it out of his mouth. His eyes fell shut as he heard the man speak.

"_Ctim vyhledavani._" The man sighed. "_Dobry bojoval, bojovnik._"  
(I honor your search. Well fought, warrior.)

For the second time that day, Gohan was out like a light.

* * *

Well… that was trippy. Confused? I know I'm not! #authorknowstheending!  
I feel bad that I threw you another cliffhanger.  
BUT I wanted to get this one out before I wrote the next one.

Sorry if you hate saiyago. And honestly no one knows what it sounds like, so I improvised.  
BTW do you think that the line breaks to change perspective are annoying? Any suggestions of what I could do instead?

Guest star appearance by Goku! And let's not forget that warm welcome for Piccolo!  
*applause*

Please to be R&amp;R for the reasons. I must be get better at the write-y thing-y.


	4. Explanations and Aggravations

NARWHALS and FISHGUTS  
They are lovely together. 3

**DISCLAIMER**: I own nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip. But I do own my pants. So yeah… not as cool as a dragonball, but I digress.

Ch 4: Explanations and Aggravations

* * *

Vegeta plopped himself down on the ridge of the crater made by Gohan's body. He winced as he mentally counted the broken bones. _I anticipated a tough fight, but hell! How'd that weakling bookworm get so strong?_ Half his ribs were cracked or worse. His left hand was shattered in a few places. Pain shot up and down his right arm. _Damn…_ Cuts and bruises covered his upper body. His pants were tattered and torn, blood seeping from a deep gash his leg.

He let out a grunt of pain as he snapped his dislocated right shoulder back into place. A moment later he smirked to himself. _I've had worse_.

The short alien man heard a noise coming from the woods behind him. He caught a glimpse of Piccolo moving to stand next to him. The two stared at the boy's fallen form. For while they watched him, monitoring his ki. It had returned to an almost normal state. After a while, Piccolo broke the silence.

"What… was that?" Piccolo's gruff voice said cautiously.

Vegeta looked turned to face him, hiding his discomfort behind a fierce scowl. "What'd it look like?" He spat.

"It looked as if Gohan was going higher than a…"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Vegeta shouted. "I _know_ what it was! I _saw_ what he could do and it WASN'T ENOUGH!" He sunk his head into his hands. "He wanted to go even higher. I had no idea there was more than one level and this… this… _boy_ finds the ascended saiyan." His voice shrunk down to a hoarse whisper. "And now… he finds _another_ higher plane of power. Am I so worthless that a _half-breed saiyan_ can achieve greater things than a prince?"

Piccolo looked down at Vegeta, shocked. Was he actually opening up? (Quick call Ripley's!)

"You are different. There is no shame in accepting that." Piccolo said. "You are stronger than before, as is Gohan."

"I don't need your sympathy!" Vegeta muttered angrily. _Why am I like this?! Emotions are unnecessary hindrances to power! _He hated feelings. Especially the truthful ones.

"Hmph. Well," Piccolo continued, frowning softly, "I get the feeling that Gohan is going to change even more by the end of this."

"You think!?" The saiyan let out a ragged sigh. "He didn't reach his limit. This will continue."

"Hmm." The tall namekian turned from Vegeta. "How long will it last?"

"It depends. I have to find out how long he's been resisting the urges." He looked sidelong at the alien. "What do you know?"

"He's been training on his own for a long while. I sparred with him until his mother found out."

"Hn."

"But that was a few years ago."

Vegeta remained silent a while. He felt a pang of something akin to sympathy for the kid. Saiyans are meant to move. Energy encompassed their being. Freedom, energy, life in motion, those are things that every saiyan needed. He'd gone through hell when that was taken away from him in Frieza's army. Memories of rage burned in his mind. There was no question of the terrible brutality that a saiyan could be capable of under those conditions.

_Damn it all._ Vegeta shook his head to clear it. _There are more important things than idiotic notions of pity. He's strong enough to adapt to this without those things._ Out loud he said, "Piccolo, go and fetch some sensu beans."

"I'm surprised you didn't think of that before you began fighting." Piccolo fought back a grin.

"Shut your face and go get the stupid beans!"

Chuckling, Piccolo flew away to the lookout to tell Dende all that had happened. The young guardian was probably shaken up by the sudden massive power and earthquake.

"I'll meet up with you back at Goku's house." Piccolo called over his shoulder as he lifted into the fading light.

Vegeta didn't bother , he stood to take a look at Gohan. The teenaged saiyan was just as roughed up as he. Not as many broken bones, definitely bloodier. Not the best shape of his life. The prince mused to himself. _I doubt he's fought so hard since Cell. Then again… _Vegeta recalled finding the child upon a snowy mountain a few years back. _Hnn… Perhaps I'd best keep a closer eye on the brat._

He limped down to the boy. Nudging him with his toe, Vegeta checked to make sure he was unconscious. Yep. Out like a light. Vegeta grunted, lifting the teen to his shoulder. Time to head back.

Taking a step, Vegeta let out a hiss of pain. Fire seared up his torso. He was in worse shape than he'd thought. Vegeta mustered the dregs of his power and lifted into the air. The dead weight on his shoulder made him wobble slightly.

The flame haired man started towards his wife's ki. She'd already be back at the house. After Gohan had gone berserk on the battlefield, Goten and Trunks had whisked Bulma away to Chichi. She'd been able to give the sedative to Piccolo beforehand.

Vegeta smiled in gratitude for Bulma. _Smart woman._ Without those sedatives, things would have gotten… intense. Vegeta was the only one to get close enough to deliver the drugs to the enraged saiyan. Piccolo couldn't even come close because of the sheer power coming off Gohan. Still, it took a while for the sedatives to take effect. _It worked, but it'll be necessary to get something stronger. _Bulma would be asking a mountain of questions. _Still, explaining all this to her will be difficult. Hopefully Kakkabrat #1 will be awake by then._

Saving his reserve as much as he could, Vegeta drifted into the fading light to the home of Son Gohan. _What a fight. _Vegeta, despite the anger and disappointment because of Gohan's near transformation, he'd actually enjoyed himself. _It's not often that I get to let loose upon a worthy opponent_. He looked thoughtfully at the boy slung across his shoulders. _I look forward to the next bout, Son of Kakkarot._

* * *

Bulma paced back and forth in anxiousness. What was taking so long? She caught herself from looking at the door again. She'd been worried ever since she left the battlefield. The terrible earthquake had broken her personal jetcycle. If it wasn't for Goten and Trunks, she would not be here now.

Her gaze passed over Chichi. The inventor felt sympathy for the woman. _Poor Chichi!_ When Bulma had returned to the house, she found Chichi weeping on the sofa. It took a while, but she managed to coax out the story from the hysterical woman. _To see something like that must've shocked her like nothing else._ Bulma herself was shocked to hear of the physical changes Gohan had gone through upon waking._ I'm going to make Vegeta tell me what is going on even if it means destroying the gravity room. PERMANENTLY! Heck I don't care how strong he is, I'll tear him a new one! I'll… _A squeal of happiness interrupted her determined mental ranting.

"Trunks! Your dad is coming back!" Goten shouted.

Trunks grinned broadly. "Yeah!" His face grew intense as he concentrated on his father's energy. "It's faint, but it feels like he's got Gohan with him!"

Bulma sagged with relief. _Thank Kami._

Chichi shot up from the couch. She rushed past the boys to the door. Flinging it wide, she dashed out into the night air. Dusk had fallen during the fight. Seeing Gohan lit up from behind by the flashes of lightning hours ago sent jolts of worry through her. She spun around, searching the skyline for the two saiyans.

"There they are!" Goten called from the doorway. He dashed forward to stand by his mom in the yard. Trunks was right on his heels followed by Bulma. He pointed into the sky. "They're coming down!" Two dark figures came into view. Naturally, the boys could see them more clearly with their saiyan senses.

Trunks suddenly powered up and flew up to meet his dad. Goten would've followed, but he still didn't know how to fly. He didn't bother looking for the nimbus. The little cloud quickly flew away from the huge power after taking care of Bulma.

The three dark figures lowered slowly. As they drew closer, Bulma gasped. _How horrible! _She took in their ragged state. _They look as though they've been through HIFL!_

"MY BABY!" Chichi closed the gap in an instant as they landed, pulling her son out of Vegeta's arms. Tears flowed from her eyes as she pulled him to her. "Oh my poor baby boy! What did Vegeta do to you?!"

Vegeta visibly tensed. He was getting close to simply blowing the woman up and leaving. "He's not dead." Vegeta snapped angrily. "The weakling will be fine. It looks worse than it is." Vegeta wobbled on the ground as he spoke. Abruptly he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Vegeta!" Bulma was at her husband's side immediately. "Vegeta! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"No you're not!"

"What clued you in?" Vegeta coughed up a bit of blood and spat to the side. "We both sustained heavy damages, but his ki is reigned in for the moment."

"Oh Vegeta…" Bulma herself looked about ready to cry.

Vegeta snorted. "We're not going to _die_ woman! The namekian left to get those foul beans you use to heal your warriors."

"Sensu beans?" Bulma smacked a hand to her head. "Why didn't I think of that?!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and struggled again to his feet. Trunks, who'd been watching in shock, put his small hands around his father's wrist and fed him a small burst of power. Vegeta looked down at his son, surprised. His eyes softened and he gave him a small nod before limping slowly into the house. Trunks smiled and followed him.

Bulma turned to Chichi. She took in the sight of the woman kneeling on the ground, holding her son close to her chest. Bulma's heart tightened within her. She knelt next to the dark-haired mother. "Chichi, we'd better get Gohan inside." She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. Vegeta said that he'll be fine. You know how strong Gohan is."

Chichi looked up from Gohan. Her eyes shone with tears. "Why is this happening?"

"Let's go find out. I'm sure Vegeta will tell us everything." _Or else!_

Chichi sniffled. "Okay." She turned to Goten and regained some of her earlier fire. "Goten, Help me get Gohan inside. He's as heavy as your father!"

Goten grinned, happy that big brother was back. Trunk's dad sure was scary when he was grumpy. He got behind Gohan and lifted him up with many grunts and 'oomphs'. His small hands lifting him under the arms. Chichi was about to lift her eldest son's legs when she froze. She swiftly leaned over and lifted Gohan's upper lip.

Normal teeth.

No fangs.

Chichi let out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness." She muttered, lifting his legs and backing into the house. "I didn't want to have to get Gohan braces. Bad enough that he was fighting instead of studying!"

Bulma almost fell over. _That's what she was worried about?! _She shook her head. _Same old Chichi._

They entered the house and moved to the living room. Vegeta was already there, slung over one of the easy chairs. He opened his eyes when they entered and watched as they maneuvered Gohan to the couch. Gohan didn't stir once during the whole thing. His breathing was slow and even as though he were in a deep sleep.

"It was enough to take out a hormonal saiyan." Vegeta murmured, "The hell was in that sedative?"

Bulma shot him a triumphant look. "I figured it out after watching you with dad's cat." Vegeta raised an eyebrow. He only touched the cat once in his memory. He still hated that thing. "I know saiyans have incredible recovery time, so I mixed gorilla and lion sedative with catnip."

Vegeta frowned. "Catnip?" He said the unfamiliar word.

"It is a favorite treat for cats. It makes them relax. I figured if I could get your body to relax enough to let the sedatives work, you'd be knocked cold in no time!"

Vegeta stared at her. Chichi stared at her. Trunks stared at her. Goten looked around in confusion before curling up next to his sleeping big brother.

Chichi finally spoke. "You dosed Gohan… with catnip… and it _worked_?"

"Yep!" Bulma grinned broadly. _Of course I put in other relaxants, but what's the fun in telling them that?_

"Crazy woman." Vegeta shook his head at her, smirking. It was amazing what this woman could come up with. He sobered quickly however upon remembering how slow it was to work. "Make it stronger for the next time. He almost overpowered it."

"NEXT TIME?!" Chichi's shrill scream rattled the pictures on the wall. She took a breath before speaking again. "What do you mean… _next time_?!"

The saiyan prince frowned. "He didn't reach his limit. This will happen again."

"Oh NO. NONONONONO." Chichi's face was the perfect picture of restrained fury. "Gohan is going RIGHT BACK to school without ANY OF THIS NONSENSE. This was a onetime thing that we are NOT going to have a repeat of! I'm not letting my son become a fight crazed lunatic! He's going to become a great doc-"

"SHUT UP YOU KAMI FORSAKEN HARPY!" Vegeta roared. He'd had enough with this woman. "This is not something to be taken lightly! If the boy does NOTHING he'll end up going insane with his search for power and end up KILLING YOUR WORTHLESS RACE."

Chichi's face drained of color. "Gohan would never…"

"OH YES HE WOULD. You think I did this to myself?!" The man gestured to his badly beaten body. "This was all because he challenged me to a fight. I didn't ask for it… HE DID."

"B-but… You provoked him!"

"Pff." Vegeta scoffed. "I simply woke him up. There were no provocations involved." Bulma rolled her eyes at this and thought to herself, _Yeah right._ "You were present at his awakening. I am sure you remember his primal form. This _will _happen again if you don't let him fight." He smirked. "Though if you think that this puny planet isn't worth saving, I think I need to get back to my training."

Chichi, pale from the implications of his words, shook her head.

"Good." Vegeta straightened painfully in the chair. Chichi, though still in a state of partial shock, scowled at the blood now on her upholstery. Bulma winced. _I'll have to pay for the re-upholstery. Again._

"As much as I hate to admit it, Vegeta's right Chichi." Bulma said gently. "But you know how Gohan is. Even if he has to battle, he won't turn into some fight crazed idiot. (like Vegeta?) Gohan is one of the smartest kids I know. He's just searching for his identity. All kids go through that at some point."

Vegeta scoffed. This was more than some pathetic hormonal search for identity. This was a coming of age rite! Not some teenager touchy feel bullcrap. Chichi merely nodded, mollified.

"Now," Bulma said, "I think it's high time we get some answers!" She glared at Vegeta. "And I swear, you'd better spill it right now or I'll never fi-"

"Fine." Vegeta interrupted her mid tirade.

Bulma continued on for a moment, "-x the gravity room ever agai-what?"

"I said 'fine' as in 'fine, I will tell you'."

The blue haired woman blushed. "Well, get on with it!" She pouted, flouncing down on the end of the couch furthest from Gohan. Trunks placed himself at his father's feet looking up at him with an interested expression. Chichi plopped herself in front of the couch, seemingly to protect her child.

Vegeta cleared his throat and leaned forward. "When a saiyan reaches a certain age," He began, "he or she, depending, comes into the height of their current physical power and energy. Understand that saiyans as a race are not bloodthirsty killers as they are made out to be, but rather lovers of battle, competitions, and challenges."

"Yeah! Goku was like that ever since he was a kid. Always wanting to grow stronger." Bulma interrupted.

"Don't I know it!" Chichi continued. "Oh, but he was such a cute guy! I fell for him instantly! Why… I remember the first time we-"

"Oh I'm sorry. Am I interrupting your worthless conversation?" Vegeta said, voice dripping sarcasm, "You seem to not care about the fate of the boy."

After a moment's silence, Vegeta continued. "It was well known that once a young saiyan came into this peak, they would search out new challenges to test themselves. Find their limits and surpass them to become greater warriors. I've said before that my race is one of unlimited potential. That potential, however, must be found and tried. Back in the earliest times of our race, it was difficult to do so as those who went through it were badly beaten and scarred. In order to keep the testing under control, our elders and king set up rules and customs, holding each person to an oath." He turned his eyes to Chichi. "What you heard in the bedroom was that very oath. It is ingrained into who we are as a people so much that it became a part of who we were personally. I don't know how the hell the brat knew about it or how he learned saiyago, but he honored that oath today."

Bulma frowned. "Saiyago?"

Vegeta scowled, not liking the interruptions. "My native language."

She let out a squeal. Vegeta had never told her anything about his culture before. Her curiosity over his past and people outweighed her annoyance at only finding out about this now. "Can you say something for me? How did you learn English? Are you fluent in any other language? How many do you kn-"

"Stop your yammering!" Vegeta snarled. He massaged the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger tiredly. "Hold your foolish inquiries until I'm done!" He felt so incredibly drained after that fight. It was all he could do to stay awake to give an explanation.

"Yeah mom! Wait till dad finishes!" Trunks agreed. He was enjoying this. _Maybe Gohan oughta get sick more often._ He mused to himself.

"Fine! I'm just asking is all. I've never heard any of this before. It's only natural I'd be curious." Bulma pouted. _Better keep a mental log of my questions then. I'll interrogate him later!_

Vegeta glared at her before speaking. "Why do you think I've never said anything about it?! Anyway, there were few saiyans who could not, for some reason, fulfill the needed testing. They could not find their limit. Eventually the search for power drove them mad. The people who came near them were perceived as challengers and were viciously attacked. Even things that were harmless were assaulted. They didn't know how to cope with their power and soon killed themselves."

Chichi's mouth fell open. "WHAT."

"It only happened a few times in our history. Mostly because of exile for some wrongdoing or whatever." Vegeta shrugged. "I've never seen it happen in my lifetime. But I was told that it was a danger. This is why the boy must be allowed to test himself." Chichi began to babble, but was cut off by another raspy sounding voice.

"So, if I don't find my limit, I'll die?"

Bulma turned to see Gohan sitting upright on the couch, Goten hanging around his neck. "Gohan!" Bulma cried, "You're awake! You're supposed to be out for another 4 hours at least!"

Bulma was about to continue when Chichi cut her off by bursting into tears and practically crushing Gohan in her arms. "MY BABY! You're going to be okay Gohan! We're going to fix you up good as new!" Goten was stuck in the middle of the two. His face was turning blue from lack of air. "You are going to get all better and head back off to school to finish your education and get a degree and get married and have children and be a wealthy successful-"

"Mom… can't… breathe…" Goten managed to gasp out.

"Oh! Sorry sweetie!" Chichi quit her ranting and released the boys.

Goten flopped down on Gohan's lap, gasping for breath. Gohan looked similar, but he was drastically pale from the pressure applied to his bruised, if not broken, ribs.

"Mom, that's fine but, we really need to listen to Vegeta now okay?" Gohan rasped out painfully. "I want to know what's going on… and what happened to me."

Vegeta, who had been boiling with rage at the constant interruptions, cooled down enough to ask, "What do you remember?"

"Not much." Gohan put a hand to his head. "I remember anger… and strange words I didn't know I knew. I was so confused…"

Vegeta's eyebrow arched. "I see. Your memories will return with your strength I suppose."

"Hey Vegeta," Bulma asked, forgetting to save this question until the end, "how come Gohan is not going all psycho freak on us right now?"

"He's half human." Vegeta stated bluntly. No reason to sugarcoat things. That was never his style. "His urges will have to be particularly strong in order to cause him to lose himself like that again." He turned his eyes to Gohan. "You are going through saiyan puberty. This is a point where all young saiyans test their power and potential. Yours is late in coming because you haven't been fighting anyone." Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Your human side might have had an effect, but I've never dealt with a half saiyan before. In any case you will seek out challenges until you are satisfied that you know who you are and how high you can go at this point." Vegeta closed his eyes and spoke as if reciting from memory. "Your hormones are incredibly unstable. Thus you will be hard pressed to control yourself. Generally though, if you perceive something as a challenge, you will be helpless to stop yourself from taking it head on. Through this process you will learn about yourself, who you are as a warrior. It is like a rite of passage into manhood and is a crucial step in saiyan culture." He opened his eyes to look back at the battered young man. "You seem to be able to fight your urges for battle. Do not do that often. If you repress it, the greater the damage will be when it is unleashed. This is part of who you are, who your ancestors were, and who your father is." He grimaced. "Yes… even Kakkarot, fool that he is, went through his own rite here on earth."

Gohan nodded his head slowly. It felt like it was made of lead and pain. The slight movement made his whole body throb. "This is good to know and I want to hear more, but how exactly did I end up this way? My last clear memory was flying through a storm with Goten."

"Oh yeah!" Goten piped up. "We got hit by that lightning bolt, remember?" His normally cheerful face scrunched up in sadness. "You got really sick and I had to get you home."

The teenage saiyan rubbed his brother's back gently. "It's alright squirt. I'll be okay." Goten turned his tear filled eyes to the floor and nodded. He was a big boy now. No need for tears. Goten sniffled a bit before snuggling up against Gohan again.

"Hn." Vegeta scowled at the open display of affection. "The lightning must've triggered the testing phase."

Gohan shook his head. "No. I felt this feeling before at school. We had a food fight in school and…"

"A food fight?" Chichi interrupted her son with a stern look. "Don't tell me you were the one to cause it!"

"Well, it was mostly your cooking that they were throwing around…"

"Son Gohan! You know better than to-"

This time, Chichi was the one interrupted by the growl of Gohan's stomach.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry mom. I didn't have much lunch."

Chichi opened her mouth to retort, but let out a sigh instead. "It figures. We'll have to talk more about this later."

Gohan sighed. No doubt he'd be punished for that.

Vegeta snorted. "Wasteful humans." He paused to recollect his train of thought. "You fell unconscious because your body had fought this for far too long. Instead of your will giving in, your body did."

Gohan's eyes became serious. "You mean if I continue to fight this…"

"You will eventually wear yourself out to the point where you can no longer control it." Vegeta waved a hand in the air. "This is becoming repetitive." (No kidding.) "You are in this current state because of an oath you swore in a language you do not know to accept a challenge." He smirked. "I fought you, bested you, and then dragged you back to this hovel."

"That's not how I remember it." Piccolo walked in the door, which they forgot to close when they'd came in. In his hand was a small brown bag. He casually tossed it at Vegeta. "You were going out of control with your power and royally beating the prince here to pieces."

Vegeta snatched the bag out of the air. "Shut your trap, namekian!" He snarled before digging a bean out of the bag. "Your perception is horribly awry if you think that this mere boy could beat a Saiyan Elite!" He popped the bean in his mouth and crunched it angrily. After swallowing, the sensu bean went straight to work. His bones mended, cuts and bruises healed, swelling went away, and his exhaustion lessened. This process continued until he was all but healed. The feeling of extreme fatigue was still there, but that was something that only a good sleep could get rid of.

"Sorry for hurting you so bad Vegeta."

Vegeta hurled the bag of beans at the boy's face. It hit him square in the nose. "Shut the hell up and eat!"

Piccolo chuckled and leaned against the wall. It was so easy to rile Vegeta. Even Gohan snickered a little as he chewed the bean. Piccolo said, "We had to sedate you to calm you down, kid. That's why you woke up here."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Gohan's face regained a more normal color. He'll be sore come tomorrow morning. "I'm starting to remember things now…" His mind struggled to recall the events of a few hours ago. "Something about a storm…and energy." His eyes grew wide. "There was ki everywhere! I saw it all! The planet, the galaxy, no, the whole universe was lit up with power!" Gohan looked at Vegeta in wonder. "I saw it all and… it made me curious…"

Vegeta nodded. "You saw the standard and sought to measure yourself." He'd been there himself once. What an experience it was. To see all the energy in existence and find yourself lacking.

"Yeah." Gohan's eyes grew serious. "I didn't find it though. My limit. There was… something missing…" He shook his head, frustrated. "Why can't I remember?"

Bulma smiled sympathetically. "That's the sedative talking. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come back to you."

"I hope so."

* * *

They group talked a while longer before grumbling stomachs made it too hard to hear what was said. Chichi left the room to heat up the long cold dinner that sat in the kitchen. She was able to whip up a few more dishes for her guests and they all sat down to a meal. Piccolo declined to eat and instead left to meditate near his customary waterfall.

After eating, the conversation continued. Bulma poured out her questions to Vegeta who answered them in a short a way as he possibly could.

It went something like this:

"So you know Saiyago huh?"

"Hn."

"Why have you never mentioned it before?"

"Reasons."

"That's a crap excuse!"

"Hn."

"Would you teach me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Reasons."

"CRAP EXCUSES VEGETA!"

"Deal."

"… Do you know any other languages?"

"Hn."

"Which ones?"

"All of them."

"What? No you don't! Prove it!"

"No."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Reasons."

"AAAGH!"

Needless to say this went on for a while.

Anyway, the Briefs family decided to head home after dinner. Vegeta was getting crankier by the minute and Bulma didn't want to pay for any more household damages. Goten and Trunks had fallen asleep during all the talking after dinner. Goten was carried off to bed by Chichi while Trunks was cradled in Bulma's arms.

Before they left, however, Vegeta sat Gohan down in the living room for some needed saiyan to saiyan advice. He explained that movement was a good thing. Expelling pent-up energy and aggression with sparring or physical training. Self training was better than nothing when no one else was around. Meditation helped, but only until the need to find the next challenge overrode all other thoughts. Vegeta stressed the idea of release and made Gohan swear to spar as much as he could with him. Gohan accepted this happily, glad to get back into training again. He'd missed his days of running around with Piccolo.

Gohan took the opportunity to ask Vegeta about school. Vegeta didn't care one way or another, so that meant he'd be going back if his mother had anything to say about it. He asked how his hormones would affect him. Vegeta claimed that he'd feel a mix of things as it was different for each person. He, however, did tell Gohan that his senses would be amplified during this time as a result. This would include his ki sensing ability.

The talk ended and Vegeta followed his family out the door. Gohan stopped him with one last question.

"How long will this last?"

Vegeta turned from the doorway. "Until a limit is found."

"Yeah I get that. Can I at least get a time frame here?"

"You have to last with these raging hormones for about 2 weeks. Any longer than that..."

Gohan waved his hands in the air. "I get it. Repetitive."

The flame haired man smirked at this before strutting out the door and into the night.

"Thank you Vegeta." Gohan called after him. He heard an answering grunt before sensing Vegeta's ki move back to Capsule Corp with Bulma and Trunks.

Wearily he closed the front door and headed up to his room. His mother had gone straight to bed after putting Goten down for the night. Today had been rough for the woman, so he couldn't blame her for hitting the sack early and leaving him to see the Briefs off. He was actually kind of glad that she did. He probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the verbal beating he would've received after she found out about the food fight.

Gohan stumbled into his room and fell on the bed.

"Hey!" A yelp sounded from under the covers. Surprised, Gohan rolled over and uncovered a small form.

"Goten!" Gohan said, "You're supposed to be in bed! Your _own_ bed!"

"Yeah, but I couldn't sleep." Goten sat up on the bed, a frown across his face. "I kept thinking that something bad was gonna happen to you again."

The older boy felt a pang of guilt. He'd really scared his little brother. "Don't worry squirt. I'm going to be just fine."

"O-okay big brother." Sniffles echoed in the dark.

Gohan sighed. "Well, I won't tell mom if you sleep in my room tonight. But this is the only time!"

The grin across Goten's face was too big to hide. Gohan felt like he'd been played… by a 6-year-old no less!

"Thanks Gohan!" Goten moved up against his big brother's chest and sighed happily.

Gohan smiled despite his disgruntlement and ruffled Goten's messy hair. "Goodnight Goten."

"G'night Gohan."

* * *

This was gonna be a longer chapter, but I felt like putting too much more in here would just make this chapter too tedious.  
Heck even Vegeta knew that I was repeating stuff!

For those who want to know when I update, I'm sorry. I don't have a set release schedule.  
Ya see, inspiration often hits me suddenly and I write like a madman! Then it leaves me and I stare at the computer screen in a loss.  
In other words, it takes a while. I'll post 'em as I'm satisfied with 'em.

BUT REVIEWS ENCOURAGE ME. So if you'd like more, let me know how I did! R&amp;R please!


	5. School Day Challenges

Let's dance until we projectile vomit!  
Okay… maybe not too much.

**DISCLAIMER**: I own a lovely little plushie shaped like Nikola Tesla! But not DBZ or any of the characters therein. However, this mini-Tesla is adorbs, so I'm okay with it.

Ch. 5: School day Challenges

* * *

Gohan awoke to dawn just beginning to break outside his window. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, wondering why he woke up so early. The sun was barely coming up! He glanced over at his alarm clock.

5:00 AM.

He groaned softly. He didn't have to get up for another two hours! Gohan was about to get out of bed when he felt a weight on his chest. _Goten!_ He forgot that the boy had crawled in bed with him last night. Slowly, so as not to wake him, he lifted himself off the bed and moved to the bathroom. Stripping, he turned on the shower as hot as it could go.

_Aaah._ A sigh of relaxation escaped his lips as he stepped into the stream. It had been a while since he last got up this early. _I'd forgotten how quiet it is in the early morning. Maybe that's why mom always gets up so early._ Gohan guessed that Chichi would be getting up in an hour or so.

He ran a hand through his black hair. _Why do I feel so restless this morning?_ He thought about it a moment. _I even feel kinda sore… like I worked out too hard or… _

Yesterday's events hit him like a ton of bricks._ Oooh yeah… Puberty. This restless feeling must be from hormones. I guess it makes sense. But so early? Geez!_ He rolled his shoulders, frowning at the tightness in them. _I'm still stiff from yesterday. Maybe I should take Vegeta's advice and go for a quick run or something._ His mind traveled through yesterday's events. _Man, this is all so hard to take in. Will I really go insane and die from this? I mean… what if I can't find my limits? Why do I have to find out how far I can go in the first place? I mean sure, I'd like to know. Growing stronger is a no-brainer, but why do it in the first place?_ Gohan rested his head against the shower wall and let water flow over his back. _And anyway, how is this supposed to tell me who I am? I mean… I thought I already knew. How could challenging myself tell me who I am as a person? I guess it would tell me who I am as a fighter though. _He smiled softly. _Dad and Vegeta went through puberty before, so they must've gone through testing too. I wonder what it was like for them. This, as crazy as it seems, really is a part of who I am. _The teen rubbed his hands over his face. _I just wish Dad was here._

Gohan showered quickly and crept back to his room. Better not to dwell too long on sad thoughts right? Slipping into a training gi, he waved at his snoring little brother and opened the window. The teen hopped out and floated to the ground a few yards from the house. Warming up, he stretched his aching muscles and did simple exercises until they felt almost fluid again.

Gohan straightened from his stretches and looked to the horizon. "I think I have time for a quick run." He said to himself. "I won't go flying. I'd rather work out my body today anyway." He loped off into the forest. Picking up his pace slowly, he leapt over a small ditch, running around trees and boulders.

Soon enough, he was practically flying along the ground. He swung past trees like they weren't even there. Jumping over roots and low branches, diving under ones that were a little higher, swinging off a few branches. If anyone was watching, they would be marveling at a parkour master!

_I wonder…_ Gohan swerved between trees like a flowing river. _How fast can I go?_ He pumped his legs faster. The Gohan-blur pushed power into his steps, leaping and bounding over obstacles as if they weren't even there. Catching a glance down, he saw his shadow in front of him. A fire lit in his onyx eyes. His shadow... _I can go faster than this!_ The Gohan-blur began to faze out here and there. His speed becoming akin to a jet plane.

If you were standing in the forest on a calm, cloudless day and a sudden wind knocked you off your feet with a fierce intensity… It might've been Gohan racing his shadow.

The teen saiyan came upon a mountain. Picking up even more speed, he set his course straight for it. A thrill shot through him as he ran up the mountain. Nothing stopped him from this ascent. Power surged through him. Energy fueled his steps. His muscles strained and Gohan reveled in the feeling.

It is said that parkour is an expression of freedom in motion. Freedom is what flowed through this young man's veins. Pumping life through the body. Soothing the troubled soul. Erasing doubt about tests and limits.

He reached the top faster than expected. On the other side of the mountain was a sheer drop. The Gohan-blur grinned broadly and went faster towards the precipice. With a loud whoop he shot off the edge of the cliff. He free fell for a while, enjoying the feel of the weightlessness. The rush of wind. The pounding of his heart. The feel of life.

But the ground is an attractive lady. Gohan spun in the air to land on his feel and shot forward with a resounding boom. Earth loosed behind him as he pushed himself farther. _How fast can I go?_ He felt the wind ripping at his clothes. He felt the earth beneath his feet, unyielding. He felt the sheer unbridled joy of running as fast as you could. In a sense, the teen had challenged himself. He hadn't noticed his power level increase at all, though sparks of energy could be seen arcing over him. What Gohan also didn't notice was how worn down his shoes were at this point.

Suddenly the sole of his left shoe ripped off.

* * *

"Gohan… why is your face all red?"

Gohan laughed sheepishly. "Don't ask." He'd gone straight home after tripping and falling on his face with enough force to cause a small Gohan shaped crater. His face had taken the brunt of the damage, leaving him with a few scratches and a general redness in his cheeks. _I just hope mom doesn't find out that I ruined another pair of sneakers._ He stuffed the torn shoes under his mattress. It had taken him a while to fly back as well. As it turns out, he ran a whole lot further than he'd thought.

Goten shrugged. "Mom said to let you know that breakfast is almost ready." He pouted slightly. "I wanted to wake you up this morning, but you were already gone!"

"Sorry squirt!" He ruffled his brother's hair before moving to his dresser to change into his school clothes. "I just woke up early. I got bored, so I went outside for a little exercise."

"Can I come next time?"

"Maybe. I was up pretty early."

"Cool! Tomorrow is gonna be so sweet!" Happily, Goten turned to the door. "I'm gonna wait downstairs for breakfast. You'd better hurry up!"

Gohan chuckled as he pulled his shirt over his head. That kid sure did inherit his father's stomach. Well, so did he, but Goten was far more serious about it. He willed himself away from thoughts of his father. _Happier thoughts… think happier thoughts._

He buckled a belt around his waist to keep his pants from falling off his frame. Most of the clothes he wore were baggy. Lovely baggy clothes showed nothing of his musculature. _Why don't I show off my body?_ The question sprang unbidden to his mind. Gohan shook his head. _That's stupid! I don't want anyone to think I am some kind of freak! Besides… I'm still trying to hide Saiyaman from Videl. Still, it would be nice… someday. I could wear whatever I wanted… No one would think I was weak…_

Gohan smacked himself gently. _That's a stupid idea! I'd be found out faster than Goten could eat his breakfast! Speaking of which… _Gohan hurried into the kitchen. If he was late he wouldn't get anything to eat!

Chichi finished setting the table as Gohan came skidding into the kitchen. He promptly thanked her for the food and dug in. His little brother doing the same. Chichi froze, her breath catching in her throat as she studied her oldest son.

Still no fangs.

Normal eye color.

She let out a sigh. _Thank Kami._ Out loud she said, "Good morning boys. Goten, I want to you come with me today when I go get the groceries. If you are good, I'll let you pick out a snack." Goten said something that sounded like 'hooray!' around his mouthful of food. "Gohan, I want to you take it easy at school today. We don't want a repeat of yesterday."

Gohan swallowed his bite of food and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'll be careful."

"Good. I still want to talk to you about the food fight yesterday," Gohan flinched at her tone, "But it'll have to wait. Besides, I don't think you meant to start it on purpose, right?"

He nodded vigorously. "Absolutely! I'll tell you about it when I get home from Bulma's."

Chichi paused from eating her own small plate of breakfast. "You're going to Bulma's today?"

"Yeah. Vegeta had me swear to spar with him as much as I can." Gohan flashed the Son grin. "After all, the sooner I can find this limit, the better."

"I guess so. But you are putting your nose to the books when you get home!" Chichi's tone took on an air of haughtiness. "Though I don't see why you have to go through all this nonsense."

Gohan felt a twinge of annoyance. "It's not nonsense. This is serious, mom. You remember what Vegeta said."

She sighed. "I'm sorry Gohan. Just… be careful okay?"

"No worries."

Gohan finished his breakfast and went to the door. "See you guys later!" He took off to school, followed by the calls of his brother and mother.

* * *

"So did you see that crazy weather we had yesterday?"

Gohan flinched as Videl answered Erasa. "Yeah. It was so weird. The storm was bad, but it cleared up instantly."

"I hear ya, but it was nowhere near as bad as that earthquake we felt later."

"Tell me about it! The windows in my room shattered from the force of it!"

"You're telling me!" Sharpner added. "It was so strong that it caused a whole skyscraper to start leaning sideways."

"No kidding!" Erasa said, "We haven't had anything so bad happen since cell!"

Gohan winced. _Not cool. Didn't think I'd get compared with Cell today. _He hadn't seen too much of the city as he decided to walk to school instead of landing on the roof. _I didn't know I caused so much damage! I mean… I apologized for all the broken china in mom's cabinet, but I thought that was the worst of it! _Tripping up earlier had left him a little aggravated, so walking it out was the better choice. He hadn't seen any robberies or whatnot either, so he didn't bother switching to saiyamode.

They started talking about the damages of the cell games. Gohan buried his face in the textbook, trying to block them out. _Memories are one thing I don't need right now._ He remembered when he fought Vegeta. How the memories of previous fights rose up to anger him. _Not in school. Not today. Nope._

The teacher walked in and began teaching. Effectively stopping the conversation between his classmates. Gohan tried to focus on the lesson at hand, but his mind kept wandering back to his own issues. Surprisingly enough, he felt pretty normal. _The hormones must not be so strong right now. Maybe it's because I expelled a good amount of energy this morning. Hopefully I'll have nothing to worry about today. _

A few class periods passed and besides being more or less bored out of his skull, Gohan found himself coping easily. A few times he felt the urge just to run around the classroom or do something active, but stifled that as soon as it appeared. He just wished that something… anything would happen to distract him from the sheer boredom of school. Eventually his thoughts turned again to yesterday. He thought about seeing all the power in the universe and wondered if he could do that again. It seemed so surreal. But it was the most fantastic sight he'd ever seen. He concluded that he would try to trigger it again just to bask in the sight. Though it wasn't like it would happen in the middle of the school day.

Abruptly, the school bell signaled the lunch break. Gohan pumped his arm into the air and let out a small 'yesssss' before stuffing things into his bag. Videl watched as he raced down the stairs and out of the classroom.

"Gohan is really excited for lunch." Erasa commented.

"Well that's no surprise. His stomach is almost as loud as yours Videl." Sharpner followed.

Videl made a face. "Thanks for that." She said sarcastically. Her friends just laughed. Videl moved from her seat and headed towards the door. "You guys coming or what?"

"Sure. You sittin' at the usual table?" Erasa smiled.

"Actually, I was gonna go eat with Gohan."

"Gohan?!" Sharpner was surprised. "Why do ya wanna eat with that nerd?"

"He's not a nerd Sharpner!" Erasa protested. "He's just socially awkward is all."

"No kidding." Videl jerked a thumb over her shoulder as she spoke. "He usually eats out on the roof by himself. He only came down yesterday when I threatened him about it."

Erasa bopped her friend on the shoulder. "Bad! No threatening new students!" She winked at Videl. "Especially the cute ones." Videl rolled her eyes and Sharpner scoffed. Erasa was the kind of person to notice someone's looks first and everything else later. "Anyway, that food fight yesterday probably scared him from the cafeteria forever!"

"Maybe. That wimp probably couldn't handle it!" Sharpner smirked.

Erasa looked down, shamefaced. "Well, I still need to thank him. For, you know… when you two saved my butt."

"No worries Erasa." Videl turned and headed up to the roof. "I don't think he minded so much. C'mon guys." The two blonds followed her.

Up on the roof, Gohan had already started digging in to his bountiful lunch. His senses were pleasantly overwhelmed by the sight and smell of good food. They were almost to the point where he blocked out what was surrounding him, but he still managed to sense people up on the roof with him.

He gulped down his mouthful of rice and looked over at the trio coming towards him. "Hey guys! Why're you up here on the roof?"

"Well at least I know why you eat alone." Videl wrinkled her nose. "You were shoveling it in like you were starving or something."

Erasa sent an elbow into her friend's ribs. "We just wondered why you didn't come down to the cafeteria today."

Gohan grinned sheepishly. "Well, last time I went a food fight started. I don't wanna start any more trouble."

"Told ya so." Sharpner smirked at Videl.

She just scowled at him and plopped herself down next to Gohan. "Since we're here, why don't we eat with you?" She glared at his surprised face. "You don't mind at _all_, do you Gohan?"

"N-no! Go right ahead!" He watched at his classmates sat next to him and opened their lunches. Videl just scowled. She didn't bring anything to eat. Again. Instead she looked expectantly over at Gohan. She stared at him a while before looking back to his lunch. Then up at Gohan again.

He returned her stare. Inwardly he grinned. _I see what you are doing! If you want something, you are going to have to ask. Politely!_

"Gohan."

"Yeah Videl?" Gohan's face was the picture of innocence.

Videl's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything.

"What?" Gohan said, not missing the scowl on Videl's face.

Sharpner and Erasa watched the showdown, slightly amused. Not many people resisted Videl. The two blondes were among the few that did. As a result, they became good friends with the police girl. Videl was popular and famous, sure. But in a way, that kept her from opening up to people. Videl, after all, isn't a bad person. She's actually the complete opposite. A righteous, but rough and tumble girl. One that usually gets her way without any effort.

Gohan took a large bite out on an onigiri, watching her reaction. Videl's eye twitched. Gohan's gaze held steady in its oblivious innocence. Inside though, he was grinning madly. _So, she thinks she can get her way without asking? Ha! You can't pull one over on Son Gohan! Goten does a much better job than you do._ A smile spread over his face as he swallowed. _Challenge accepted._ He caught himself. _Hold up! What was that? No! This is not a challenge!_ His smile vanished. _She is just being stubborn about this. Not a challenge. Keep it together Gohan…_

Videl interrupted his mental issues with a sigh. "Nothing." She said. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared longingly at his lunch.

Gohan couldn't hold back his chuckles. "Geez Videl! If you wanted some, all you had to do was ask!" He held out a sandwich to the girl. "I'm not that much of a glutton."

She glared angrily at the sandwich. "Don't want any." She muttered, looking away. Videl's stomach rumbled angrily. A blush, fiery red, spread over her cheeks.

"Oh just take the stupid sandwich Videl!" Erasa giggled. "It's not gonna kill you to be nice about it."

Videl snatched the sandwich out of Gohan's hand. "Shut it Erasa." She muttered thanks to him before taking a bite.

Sharpner shook his head at Gohan's troubled expression. "She does that to everyone dude. Don't take it personal."

"Yeah. Videl doesn't like to take handouts." Erasa winked. "But sometimes she can't tell the difference between drooling fanboys and nice guys who like to share." Videl shot her angry looks, but couldn't say anything with her mouth full. "Uh… Gohan?"

"Yeah Erasa?"

"Thanks for yesterday. You didn't need to take the fall for me like you did."

"Hey it was partially my fault you know. Most of the casualties were caused by my mom's cooking." Gohan smiled. "Don't worry about it."

"Thanks Gohan." Erasa sighed happily. "That was eating me up all last night. The earthquake didn't bother me as much as that did."

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Hah, yeah." _Gotta change the subject._ "So, did you do the homework for physics class?"

"Ugh. Don't even get me _started_ on how much I hate that class." Erasa shook her head. "Some days I wonder how anyone can understand any of that stuff!"

"Oh, it's not too bad Erasa."

"Says you Mr. I-got-perfect-scores-on-the-entrance-exam." Sharpner contradicted. "You probably do stuff like that in your sleep."

Gohan pouted. "I'm not that much of a nerd."

"Sure thing. Say, what did we discuss yesterday anyways?"

"We talked about how to calculate the mass of an object when under a force exceeding 500 Newtons in an environment lacking.."

"Neeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrd!" Sharpner broke out in laughter.

"Hey! That's not fair!" He sputtered. Eventually though, he ended up chuckling with the others. Thank Kami for lunch.

* * *

_Kami has forsaken me. _

Gohan's chin rested on his desk. _This is nothing less than an inhumane torture method for high school students._ Sure he'd joked with the others about physics class being tough, but it was _so boring_. Sharpner wasn't wrong. He could do this stuff in his sleep. _Kami, why did you invent physics class? Why did you make me go to school?_ His mental whining cut off as a light snore made it to his ears.

Erasa slumped over in her seat, sleeping like a baby. Gohan had half a mind to join her. But for some reason, he couldn't. Not for lack of trying though.

He squirmed in his seat. Restless feelings resurged in him. _Dang hormones._ He tried to settle his mind and meditate. The teacher's droning voice penetrated his mental barriers. _Dang teacher._ He settled on flipping his pen around in his hand. Faster it spun until he lost focus and it flew from his hand and out the open window. _Dang pen!_ Having lost one mode of entertainment, Gohan turned to making paper origami. He'd gotten through 5 paper cranes, 3 frogs, 4 water bombs, and 2 secret boxes all on the same sheet of paper. It was now too crinkly to fold any more. _Dang paper._

Suddenly, the class jolted into wakefulness by a familiar beeping noise. Videl held her watch up to her face.

"Go ahead chief."

"Videl!" A voice could be heard through the static. "We're under fire here! A group of heavily armed men have taken hostages and have barricaded themselves inside the bank off west main! We need your help!"

Gohan celebrated. _Yesssss!_ This was just what he needed._ Thank you Kami! Time for Saiyaman to make an appearance!_

"I'm on my way." Videl vaulted the desk and ran down the stairs. "There's an emergency." She called to the teacher as she dashed out the door.

The teacher, Mr. Exermerner (I am so sorry), muttered something like "Yeah yeah, go take care of the city. Just fail my class like everyone else." He was not in a very good mood.

Mr. Exermerner had yelled a bit to try and restore order. Every time that Videl was called away it caused a stir. The lesson resumed after the gossip of the class had died down. A few minutes passed in droning teacher noises before a lone hand went up.

"Mr. Exermerner?" (This was the worst idea)

The teacher sighed. "What is it Mr. Son?"

"May I be excused?"

"And why, pray tell, should you be allowed to leave my class?"

"I have to use the restroom."

"Well, you should've thought of that BEFORE you came into class today."

"But sir..."

"But nothing, Mr. Son! By my understanding, _everyone_ in this class is having a hard time understanding the _simplest_ of equations." Mr. Exermerner grew red in the face. "You are always asking to be excused. Not today, Mr. Son! You are going to learn this Kami-dang-it and you are going to learn it good!"

Gohan looked stunned. He slowly lowered his eyes to his desk. _The heck was that?_ His senses stretched out to find Videl's ki. It was spiking consistently. Usually she could handle herself, but not always. Gohan found that out on more than one occasion. _She's in danger._ The chief said that there was a gunfight. Guns and humans do not mix!_ I've got to help! What do I do?_ His eyes hardened. _I've got to do something. To hell with how it looks!_

He stood from his seat in the row. "Mr. Exermerner, if I can prove to you that I fully understand what you are teaching, may I go?"

Mr. Exermerner (whyyy) turned to look doubtfully back at the teen. "Gohan, I appreciate the fact that you are one student actually doing well in my class, but I highly doubt that…"

"Sir." Gohan interrupted. "Please let me try."

"Gohan!" Sharpner's fierce whisper came from behind him. "Just hold it until class is over!" Gohan ignored him. "It's not worth it!"

The teacher's face turned to one of intrigue. "Alright then. I'll give you an equation. If you can solve it, I'll let you go to use the bathroom. If not, you will have to wait until the lesson is over and will have twice as much homework for the rest of the month." He turned to the board. "But make no mistake; I'm trying to get you to stay in my class."

"Thank you sir." He moved out from behind his seat and walked towards the front. He ignored the excited chatter of his classmates. No one challenges a teacher! Gohan held his head high and waited for the equation to be finished.

Mr. Exermerner (this gag is old now) turned to Gohan smugly. "There you are." He leaned back on the teacher's desk. "Have at it, Mr. Son." He rigged the problem, knowing that most students would try to solve the question mark. Even if they caught on, and they never did, it would take them a long time to figure out how to get the answer.

Intregal sec y dy from 0 - 1/6pi = |n sqrt 3 (?)^64  
(Augh the formatting tore the pretty equation I had apart)

Gohan looked at the equation for a moment._ You've got to be kidding me._ He took a piece of chalk and began writing on the board. _This is stupid._ He wrote out the equation in simplified form, completely ignoring the question mark in the problem. Step by step he solved it. Within a few minutes he had the answer.

n = 0.549306144334055

He looked back at the teacher. Mr. Exermerner was dumbfounded. This problem was meant to stump the boy. Not actually be solvable! What's more, he did it in _minutes_! Without a calculator! Who _was_ this kid?

A student somewhere in the class spoke up. "What's the question mark? Don't you have to solve that too?" Gohan shrugged. He used his sleeve to wipe out the question mark and replaced it with 'í'.

He turned back to the teacher. "May I go now?" The teacher nodded numbly and stared at the board. Gohan turned on his heel and strode quickly from the class. As soon as the door shut, he shot up the stairs and to the roof, launching out over the city. _I've got to hurry!_ He sensed out Videl's energy and sped towards her position.

He stopped short of where she was and landed in an abandoned alleyway. He reached over and hit the button on his watch. A sharp jolt of electricity jumped out of the watch face, shocking Gohan. The saiyaman clothes over his body flickered before returning to his school clothes.

_Frack! _Gohan slapped a hand to his forehead. _That lightning storm yesterday shorted out my disguise! How could I have forgotten?!_ He paced back and forth in the dark alley. _What do I do? If I go out there, Videl will recognize me! If I don't…_ Sounds of gunfire rang out across the street. _No! I've got to help her!_ He looked around frantically. _I could go super saiyan. No one recognized me last time. Well, except Videl. And that was only because of what I was wearing._

He looked down at his outfit. A baggy yellow T-shirt over a long white undershirt, carpenter's slacks, black belt, and dress shoes. He ripped off his shirt and undershirt, kicked off his shoes and removed his belt. He powered up to super saiyan and flew towards the scene. _This had better work._

* * *

Videl entered the building from a side window, taking out two of the goons waiting there. She swung around the corner just as two more appeared. They panicked over their fallen comrades before shooting randomly all over the place. Bullets skimmed past the corner where Videl hid. _Man! These guys are the most trigger happy idiots I've ever seen! _When she arrived on the scene, bullets were flying everywhere. Cops shooting at the building, robbers shooting at the cops, it was a nightmare. Somehow, Videl managed to skirt the firefight and get inside.

She looked further down the hallway. _Those hostages have to be here somewhere_. Videl ran down the hallway. A set of double doors were at the end. She put her ear to the door. Crying, shouting, gunfire. _This is it!_ She glanced around, hoping that there was another way inside. Busting down the doors might seem really bad-ass, but scaring some gun happy lunatics was a dangerous gamble.

She spotted a vent above her head on the wall. She leapt up and with one punch, dented it enough so she could pull it away. The teen crime fighter hauled herself into the ventilation shaft and started in the direction of the room. A few feet later she came upon the vent that revealed the hostages. Videl waited until there was another barrage of gunfire and screams before she kicked the vent out.

Videl dropped to the floor behind the hostages and began untying them. "Shhhh." She said to the ones who weren't gagged. "I'm here to help." The raven haired girl looked at the men with guns around them. They obviously didn't care too much about the hostages. Instead they focused on what was going on in the front of the bank. _Idiots._

Soon everyone was freed. They looked to her expectantly. This was Videl Satan after all; she had to have some kind of plan.

"Chief," Videl whispered to her wrist com, "I have the hostages, get to the side door on the west end. We'll meet you there." She looked up at the hostages. They nodded to show they understood. "I'll need some cover fire."

"YOU GOT IT VIDEL!" The shrill noise of the wrist com rocked everyone back on their heels. The guards surrounding the hostages were not exempt. Some threw their hands over their ears in an attempt to block it out. Others, who didn't mind it so much, turned to find the source. Their surprise was evident when they recognized Videl.

"Hey! It's that cop chick! She's releasing our hostages!"

"Get her!"

_Crap._ Videl launched herself at the nearest guard. A swift punch across the jaw knocked him out on his feet. She waved to the hostages, shouting "Move! Move!" She laid another punch across a second thug, laying him out flat. His gun went off as he fell. Bullets ricocheted around the room, causing a few goons to throw themselves out of the way.

"Go! Head towards the doors at the end of the hall!" Seven of the hostages stampeded down the hall and into the waiting arms of the police. Three hostages were snagged by various thugs and thrown back in the room. "Dangit!" Videl charged the one guard, making him lose his grip on his gun. He turned back to Videl and let loose his own punch, which Videl dodged.

She danced back from the guy, her battle stance ready. "Bring it." Videl mocked, smirking. Her cocky smile vanished when she felt cold steel pushed into her back.

"Now now, let's not be too hasty to 'bring it', as they say." A tall, lean man came into view. "We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Right boys?" The thugs still conscious chuckled. "You are in the middle of a dangerous operation, little girl. You came in here and beat up my friends too." He tut-tutted softly. "Why don't we wake them up, so they can have a chat with you?"

Videl's eyes grew large as one of the men she knocked out coming in walked up to her. He casually pulled back and punched out at her. Videl tried to dodge, but the man behind her pushed her into the punch. It landed hard on her cheekbone. It wasn't enough to knock her out by any means, but it hurt.

She glared at the brute in front of her. He grinned back and spoke to the others around him. "How bout we have some fun wid miss Satan here?" Videl's face paled. "Make a 'xample a dose who try ta mess wid da Sharkfin gang!" He pulled out his gun and aimed it, point-blank, at her knee. "Foist, we's gonna blow a hole in her legs. Den, we's gonna blow off all her fingers."

The man behind her laughed. "Sounds fun." He held the gun at her back at a sharper angle. She glanced back and saw that he had another gun pointed at the 3 remaining hostages. "You try to fight back and we'll have to kill all of you."

Videl swallowed nervously. Things had gotten seriously scary far too quickly. _What do I do now?_ There was no way out, guns trained on her from every side. She squeezed her eyes shut._ I don't want to die!_ _Please… Somebody help me please!_

She heard a gunshot, a scream. Suddenly, the world blazed in golden light. The pressure behind her vanished. Videl cautiously opened her eyes. She let out an audible gasp.

Before her stood a tall, golden blond man. He was shirtless, wearing low slung carpenters slacks. His feet were bare. His eyes shone a brilliant blue beneath a stern glare. One lone lock of hair hung down over his face while the others stood up on end, waving gently in the strange wind filling the room. This man exuded power. His torso, revealed for the world to see, was perfectly sculpted. Not an ounce of fat. Tanned bronze skin glowed faintly golden. One powerful arm was raised. In his fist was the man about to blow Videl's knee to bits.

The Gold Fighter had returned.

Videl felt her eyes rove over his body. _HOLY HECK! Where… Who… _She watched as he incapacitated the armed men around her. This had to be the gold fighter. Videl had never seen him personally, but this guy matched the descriptions perfectly. Tall, golden hair, extremely powerful, gorgeous. The gold fighter picked up their weapons. A strange light burst from his fingertips, blowing the guns to smithereens. He turned to her just as she found her voice.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice shaking and uncertain. This was almost too much. He didn't say a word, but instead gestured to her body. She looked down. "I-I'm fine. Thanks." He turned and gestured to the remaining hostages. Videl nodded. "I'll take care of them." He smiled. _He… just smiled at me. Oh Kami…_

The gold fighter turned and headed to the front of the bank. Videl watched as all the gun happy robbers were taken out with ease and minimal amount of effort. He knocked out the last man and turned to Videl. He gestured to her, beckoning her with his eyes. The teen's heart fluttered in her chest as she went out to stand next to him. Good thing Videl wasn't so smitten with him that she didn't notice that the police had their guns trained on him.

"It's okay! The robbers are down!" She waved them over. "Take 'em away boys!" The cops cheered and rushed in to catch themselves some crooks. "Thank you, sir. You really saved me." She turned to the man. "But I have to ask wh-"

Videl looked around, startled. The gold fighter had vanished.

As reporters swarmed her in the aftermath, Videl couldn't remember answering any of their questions beyond the standard 'no comment'. Her mind was elsewhere. Namely on some tall golden stranger.

* * *

_That was the most embarrassing thing of my entire life._ Gohan was mortified. _I think my boxers were showing!_ Good thing he'd decided to wear the black ones instead of the ones with the little bears on them. _And Videl! She kept staring at me!_ The girl wouldn't take her eyes off him._ I guess I really am a freak._ He sighed and continued dressing himself. He'd gotten out of there as fast as he could so no one would see how red his face was turning.

_But you know,_ Gohan thought to himself, _she didn't recognize me._ He had decided not to speak as the gold fighter. It was harder to find him out that way. _For once I won't get any flak about being a superhero! AND I saved Videl and those hostages. Good thing I got there when I did. That guy was about to shoot her! _His face flamed up again as he thought about how Videl was looking at him. _I can't wait to get my outfit back though. Fighting crime half-naked is bad enough._ He hopped from rooftop to rooftop back to the school building. Luckily, Videl was too busy with mopping up the crime scene to try and follow him.

He glanced at a hall clock as he started back to physics class. _That took less time than I thought!_ Gohan felt better after expending some energy. He figured that physics would be a breeze now that he was calmer. The saiyan teen was about to open the door when he remembered what he did to get out of class.

_Frack._ He took a deep breath and opened the door. "Mr. Exermerner?" (Oh, it's still here)

The teacher looked up from his lesson book with a broad grin. "Gohan my boy!"

"S-sir?" Gohan's face gave away so much confusion that the teacher outright laughed at him. "Are… am I…"

"No no, you aren't in trouble Gohan!" Mr. Exermerner walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "After you left, everyone started asking questions. We've had a most interesting discussion while you were gone. Frankly I was very startled when you solved that equation. I was angry that you had gotten the best of me." He chuckled again. "But you bested me fair and square, so I am not going to send you to the principal for being rude in my class. However, this will not happen again, understood?" Gohan nodded as the teacher gestured to his seat. "You may take your seat Gohan."

Gohan went back to his seat in a daze. As he sat down, he let a smile cross his face. _That just happened._

Erasa elbowed him in the ribs. "I heard what happened from Sharpie!" She slept through the whole thing. "You were awesome!"

"R-really?"

"Hells yes!" Sharpner leaned over toward him. "For a little nerd boy, you got some balls!"

"Uh… Thanks?"

Erasa giggled at Gohan's stunned expression. "Wait till Videl hears about this!"

"She's never going to believe us." Sharpner shook his head. "It figures that she has to leave when things get interesting."

"Ahah, yeah." Gohan chuckled nervously, a hand rubbing his neck in a nervous habit.

They went back to focusing on the lesson which was much more interesting than before. It had become more like a physics discussion than a lecture. Afterwards the teacher gave Gohan far harder homework than the rest of the class. It was still pretty easy for Gohan, but it was a welcome change of pace for him. He actually had to use brain power for it! Mr. Exermerner (last one, I promise) swore to tell other teachers about Gohan's level and sure enough, he got a message in his locker from each of his teachers containing harder assignments to challenge him. After finding the harder assignments in his locker at the end of the day, he headed to Bulma's house with a light heart.

Not counting the robbery, this was the best school day so far.

* * *

What happened up there with Videl?  
Is drama a time? Is Videl capable of the dramallamas?

Bonus points if anyone recognizes that equation. It ain't a product of my own brain!  
HINT: ERB

Seriously, I wrote WAY too much and had to split it up into 2 chapters.  
Tune in for PART TWOOOOOO. AKA next chappy.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You really encouraged me to keep writing. That's why this update is a 2 parter. Thank you so much! R&amp;R for those who like dis!


	6. Death of a Saiyaman

Who likes fish fingers?  
I do! But only sometimes.

**DISCLAIMER**: *beep* I-own-nothing *beep* DBZ-is-not-mine *beep* AHAHAHAHA *beep*

Ch. 6: Death of a Saiyaman

* * *

"What do you mean you can't fix it?!"

Gohan had gone to Bulma's right after school. Gohan immediately accosted her about the watch. She took it to her lab and fiddled around with it a bit. When she returned, she told him that it was irreparable.

"I'm sorry Gohan, but there is no way I can fix it. The circuits are fried beyond saving." Bulma said. "Usually the outfit can reboot itself by reverting back into the watch, but the lightning bolt must've corrupted it."

"Aww man! The Great Saiyaman. Defeated by electricity." How lame was that? "Can't you whip up another outfit like that one?"

Bulma tilted her head in thought. "Well, I could rig another watch for you, but it wouldn't be the same thing. The electric signal for that outfit is lost for good. You have to come up with another suit."

"Another suit? That's great! Thank you so much Bulma! I'll start on ideas right aw-"

"DIBS!" Trunks shouted. "I call dibs!"

"You can't call dibs! It's _my_ outfit!" Gohan hollered back.

"Too bad! I called dibs first!" Trunks grinned. "Your last outfit was super dorky. I'm going to make you look awesome!"

"Dorky?! Why you little…"

"Suck it Gohan!" Trunks stuck out his tongue and ran off with mother in tow.

Bulma was laughing her head off as she was led away quickly by her son. "You are just like your father!" Trunks smirked proudly. "But that wasn't a very nice thing you did to Gohan back there."

"I'll apologize after he sees how great my outfit is!" They made it to the lab seconds ahead of Gohan. Trunks spun around and slammed the heavy steel doors into place. Locking it, he dashed over to the desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. He snagged a pencil and began scribbling madly, ignoring Gohan's protests from the other side of the door.

"Open up! Open up you little pest!" Gohan banged on the door, causing it to shake. "Hey! Bulma! Let me in! Come on, this isn't fair!"

"Oh Gohan, let's just see what his idea is!" Bulma hollered back. "And if you break my door down I'll tell Chichi that you've trained without her knowledge!"

The banging stopped. "… You wouldn't."

"Yeah, I would."

"… fine. But I reserve right to veto it!"

"Rights reserved for the inventor only!" Bulma smirked. "I don't have to make it at all you know!"

"… AUGH." A thump was heard as Gohan sat down on the floor. "I KNOW."

Bulma stuck her tongue out at the door. "Don't be such a whiner Gohan! I am not only a genius, but have impeccable fashion sense! So trust me!" She turned back to Trunks who was still drawing madly. She moved to peek over his shoulder. "How's it going?"

He moved to cover the drawing. "No peeking! I'm not done yet!"

"Aww please?" Bulma pouted.

"Be patient!" Trunks pushed her away gently. He knew he was strong for his age.

Bulma settled herself in the desk chair and watcher her son work. _That's my boy! Brains from his mother, tenaciousness from his father. _She smiled proudly. _Oh, Trunks! I love you so much!_

A few minutes, and a few grumbles from Gohan later, Trunks finished. He straightened from the desk and looked over at his mom. "It's done!" He said proudly. "Come and see!"

Bulma rose from her chair and walked over to him, an amused smile on her face. "Let's see what you did sweetie." She looked down at the drawing. The look on her face changed from astonishment, to pleasure, and finally settled on happy approval. "Nice job! I think it'll look good on him." She began giggling madly.

"Uh… Mom?" Trunks felt intimidated. Maniacal laughter didn't happen often. Well, from his mom at least. "You okay?"

Bulma swept her son up in a large bear hug. "Oh Trunks! This is a great idea!" She spun in circles happily. "I can't wait to get started!" Trunks laughed happily and leapt out of her arms.

"I'm glad you like it!" Using the camera attached to Bulma's computer, Trunks took a photo of his design. He then picked up the drawing and went to stand in front of the door, grinning evilly. "Hey Goooohaaaaan." He taunted the teen behind the door, "It's reaaaaadyyyy."

"Let me see it!" Gohan's angry voice called from behind the door.

"Sure thing!" He started to slide it under the door. "Whoops!" A bright flash of energy incinerated the helpless sheet of paper before it got to Gohan. "Ooooh! Sorry Gohan. It died all of a sudden."

"Wait! It what?! You did that on purpose!"

"Oh don't worry, we're going to make it anyway."

"You're WHAT?!" The door rattled under the force of Gohan's yell.

Trunks smirked harder. "You heard me, _saiyadork_. Honestly the only thing worse than your outfit was your poses."

"AAAAAAAGH!" The house began to shake, albeit gently.

Bulma placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Trunks, you better stop tormenting Gohan before he blows a hole in the wall."

The boy's smirk faded slightly. "Sorry mom." He cleared his throat. "Sorry Gohan." He said a little louder. "Your outfit is dorky, but you aren't."

The rumbling stilled. Trunks reached over and pushed the button to open the door. Gohan wouldn't be too mad… right?

The door slid open a few inches, but stopped. A hand had reached out and slid it open all the way. Vegeta stood at the threshold, arms folded. Trunks gulped as he took in his father's annoyed scowl.

"Boy, have you been pestering Kakkarot's son?"

"Uh… yes?"

Vegeta grunted and walked into the lab. Behind him, slumped against a scorched wall, was an unconscious Gohan. Bulma looked at the teen in shock. Her eyes went back to Vegeta. "What happened?"

"I told you that hormonal saiyans are not to be trifled with." He leaned against the desk. "You fools seem to think that it's okay to tease him. Make light of what he's going through." His dark eyes flashed with warning. "You flirt with danger."

"Is Gohan gonna be okay?" Trunks felt tears prick his eyes. He saw Gohan as a big brother. Not as close as Goten, but like a brother none-the-less.

Vegeta sighed heavily. "He'll be fine. The idiot didn't even notice when his ki was became unstable. I sensed it and came to find him. If I didn't knock him out…" The flame haired man looked up at his wife. "I do not care if it was in jest, be careful of how you joke with the boy during this time."

Bulma swallowed hard. "I'll be careful."

"Good." Vegeta allowed himself a small smile as he looked over at his son. "Though you really pissed him off. What did you say?"

Trunks looked down shamefully. "I… made fun of his superhero outfit."

Vegeta laughed openly. "About time! It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!" Bulma pouted. That was her idea you know. "Someone should've destroyed that eyesore ages ago!"

Trunks raised his head and smirked at his dad. "We're making him a better one. One that doesn't suck so bad." His smirk grew wider. "I was going to prank him by making it turn into a clown costume, but he already had one of those."

Vegeta laughed even more. "Let me see what you came up with." He said when he reigned in his laughter.

Trunks pulled up the image on his mom's computer. Vegeta raised his eyebrows in surprise at the image. "Not bad. It faintly resembles saiyan traditional wear."

Bulma was immediately interested. "Oh yeah? How so?"

Vegeta pointed out several spots in the uniform, explaining the purpose and making adjustments. Despite his enthusiasm, he was a bit gruff about it. The prince never expected to be working on clothing, but his mate and son were excited about it, so he figured why the hell not. Trunks and Bulma gave their own suggestions. The outfit was coming together nicely.

Poor Gohan was forgotten as the family worked together to make a true saiyan outfit.

* * *

Gohan woke up with a splitting headache. _What happened?_ He looked around blearily. _Oh… That's right… Bulma's house._ The teen pulled himself upright, holding his head tightly. _Man… What hit me?_

"Gohan?" Gohan turned to look at Trunks who had sat himself beside the couch where he lay. "Are you still angry?"

"Angry?" Gohan remembered his saiyaman suit. His temper flared briefly before realizing how stupid of a thing that was. "No Trunks. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose it back there. That was so stupid of me."

"It's okay. I shouldn't have been such a jerk about your outfit. Even if it was true." The boy smiled. "Forgive me?"

Gohan returned the smile. "Yeah. I forgive you." He said as he ruffled the boy's hair. Trunks was like a second little brother. A cool, deviously smart little brother. He and Goten combined made for the worst pranks.

"Awesome!" Trunks leapt up and pulled Gohan off the couch. "Then you have to come see it!"

"See what?"

"Your suit! It's finished!"

Gohan looked startled as he was dragged down the hall. "Already?! How long was I out?!" _I'd better call mom! She'll kill me if I don't!_

Trunks looked over his shoulder. "Not very long. We worked really fast!"

"We?" They turned a corner. "Who's we?"

"Me, Mom and Dad!"

Gohan almost tripped. _Vegeta helped? Kami, I think I might have been better off fighting crime half-naked!_ He had no more time to think as Trunks burst into the lab, pulling Gohan along with him.

Bulma was waiting beside a small machine. "Hello boys! The watch is almost done." She gestured to the small machine that sounded a small beep. "Scratch that. It's finished!"

Gohan watched as the blue haired genius pulled out a small tray with a white watch similar to the one he had before resting on its smooth surface. He looked dubiously at the device. What horrors did it contain?

Bulma rolled her eyes. "C'mon. Just try it on! It's not like it's going to explode or anything. Besides, if you don't like it, you don't have to wear it." Still, Gohan hesitated.

"Just put the stupid thing on already." Vegeta was leaning against a wall, watching things with a bored expression.

Gohan glared at the watch before slipping it on his wrist. "Fine." He placed his finger over the button, took a deep breath, and pushed.

A tingly sensation covered him. It was the same feeling he had before whenever he'd change into saiyamode. The feeling subsided and Gohan felt a material coat his body. It was pliable and stretched as he moved. He looked down. On his feet were white boots tipped with blue and with black edging. His legs were hidden under a pair of deep blue pants resembling gi bottoms. A black, short sleeved spandex top hugged his torso tightly. His chest was protected under a chest plate that resembled saiyan armor. It was white with blue and black piping, but lacked the shoulder pads and lower protective plates. Over his heart, emblazoned in red, lay his family crest. He wore black wristbands and a dark blue armband around his left bicep. There was no cape, no helmet, and no sunglasses.

Gohan turned to find a mirror. Luckily, Bulma thought ahead and set one up against the nearby wall. Gohan looked at his reflection in amazement. _Is that really me?_ He looked strong, confident. Turning about, he found that it was a light outfit. Flexible and well made. On an urge, he powered up to super saiyan. His golden hair stood out in stark contrast to the outfit. The light from his energy making it seem as though he was on fire.

"Cooooool." Trunks whispered, awed. "Hey mom… can you make me a superhero outfit too?"

Gohan turned around, amazed. "This was your idea, Trunks?"

"Sorta. I mean, Dad added the armor and armband. I made up the rest. Mom said you'd look better in blue." He frowned. "Do you like it?"

Gohan shook his head and powered down. He didn't know how to react. "I… I just… Wow."

Bulma chuckled. "You made him speechless! Way to go Trunks!" The boy blushed happily.

"Incredible." Vegeta murmured, unable to tear his eyes away from the teenager. "You look like a real saiyan for once in your life. This uniform is akin to what our young warriors wore in preparation for tournaments."

"Really?" Gohan's eyes widened.

"Yes." He smirked. "Your last outfit caused you to look like the weakling you were. This makes you look like the man you will be."

If it was possible at this point, Gohan's eyes grew wider. _Did Vegeta just compliment me?_ His mind reeled. _Holy Kami, he DID. Vegeta just paid me a compliment!_ He looked in amazement to Bulma. "Is Vegeta drunk right now?"

Bulma laughed loudly as Vegeta's face turned beet red. "Nope! I think he's just being a bit sentimental."

"The prince of all saiyans does not feel sentiment!" Vegeta spat hurriedly, trying to lower the temperature in his face. "I have no need for such a weakness! Sentiment… PAH!"

"Yeah sure." Bulma snickered. "You just can't admit how much of a softie you're becoming."

"Shut it woman!" Vegeta stormed out of the room, arms rigid at his side. "I am not going soft! I will destroy this puny world and smash all that you love into oblivion! I will dance upon your corpses and bathe in your worthless blood! I will laugh at your pathetic attempts to…" His raving grew distant as he stormed back to the gravity chamber.

Gohan grinned at Bulma and Trunks. "I love it! But I have no way to hide my identity."

Trunks groaned. Bulma nodded her understanding. "I get what you're saying, but this is too good to ruin with a face mask. We discussed it earlier and both Vegeta and Trunks thought it looked stupid. Besides, you appeared as the gold fighter already, right? Ditch the disguise and just go super!"

"I dunno… I get the feeling that I'll get caught too easily."

"Well, you could just reveal that saiyaman is the gold fighter. This way, you won't have to worry about people seeing your face anymore."

"Huh." Gohan thought about it a while. "Well, maybe that could work. But could I at least get something to hide my face until I make up my mind?"

"Sure. I'll see if we can't get a helmet for you or something." Bulma walked over to a closet in the back of the lab and rummaged in the mad chaos of half-finished/abandoned inventions. This was her laboratory after all. After a few minutes of things flying out from the depths of the lab, (Gohan and Trunks had to dodge a flying toaster) Bulma returned. She held out a black biker helmet. "This is the best I could find in short notice. I got it a while back when I decided to get a jetcycle. I modified it to pick up radio signals so I could listen to music while I drove. Never used it though, it's a little big for me." Trunks made a face. Obviously he didn't like the idea of another addition to his masterpiece.

Gohan pulled the helmet on. His voice was muffled from the enclosed space. "It feels a little claustrophobic in here, but it's not too bad." He flipped the visor closed. The visor itself was a like a one-way mirror. You could see out, but couldn't see in. "What do you think Trunks?"

Trunks studied him a moment. "It's alright I guess." He shrugged. "Anything is better than the last one."

The spiffy looking teen smiled and flipped the visor down. "Alright!" He struck a few poses. "The Great Saiyaman returns!"

"Gohan…"

"Yes Bulma?"

"Don't do that again."

"What do you…"

"You look ridiculous, even with the wardrobe change! Promise me that you'll quit those poses."

Gohan was startled. "I thought the poses were cool." He looked at Trunks. "Aren't they?"

"They suck." Trunks deadpanned.

* * *

Videl was up late again. She finally made it back to the Satan mansion after reporters had kept her from returning to school. Her father was the one who rescued her from reporters. Hercule claimed that she needed rest after that whole debacle. For once she agreed with him and let him take the spotlight. There weren't many occasions where her life almost ended. Some time to recuperate was in order.

The teen crime fighter sat on her bed. _Fighting crime can really take it out of you._ She considered all that happened. _I really almost died today. I need to train harder I guess._ Videl sighed into her pillow. Eventually her thoughts drifted back to him.

Him. The gold fighter. The man who saved her life. The perfect, gorgeous, manly… Videl smacked herself gently. _Why am I suddenly so ga-ga over some guy? Yeah he saved my life, but I know next to nothing about him! Besides, I still have to worry about Saiya-jerk._ She paused. _Where was he today anyway? Figures that bozo is a no-show when we could've actually used his help._

She got up to change into her pajamas. It had gotten late quickly. _It's strange though… This is the first time I've seen the gold fighter in person. How come, with his immense strength, he never shows himself? Why did he choose to show up today?_ Questions filled her head. _Could he and saiyaman be the same person? I mean.. I've never seen under saiyaman's helmet, so it's plausible. Then again…_

A light filled the dark room as Videl opened her laptop and searched for the gold fighter. Not much came up, but that was to be expected. Camera's caught images of him today, but that was because of her really. His blue eyes were so piercing…

She shook herself and did a search for saiyaman. She compared the two. One serious, one goofy. _Nope. Not the same person at all. Unless saiyaman has some weird split personality disorder._ Videl studied the picture further. _The gold fighter looks like someone I've seen before…_ Quickly tapping on the keyboard, she brought up her files of the Cell games. _I knew it! He looks like the blond guys who fought Cell! _Her head tilted toward the photos on the screen. _This picture was taken 7 years ago. So he'd be really young in this picture. He looked like he was about my age, so he must've been the little boy! Dad said they used light tricks and stuff. The gold fighter used some sort of light at the bank today. Those guns were blown away!_ Videl frowned at the screen._ He was at the cell games! But, who is he?! _

She shut her laptop angrily. More questions and even fewer answers. She was further than ever from finding out the real identity of the superhero.

Videl crawled back into her bed, annoyed. Her interactions with Gohan hadn't turned up anything new either. _I know he's hiding something, but I am beginning to doubt that he could be anything more than just another high schooler._ She smiled. _He's a nice guy though. We might even be friends eventually. Even if he is a giant nerd._

Falling asleep, Videl dreamed of golden clouds rolling across a bright blue sky. Warm breezes caressed her and she felt safe from everything. Strong arms encircled her from behind. She watched dandelions float by serenely, laying back into a firm chest on the side of a lush amber hill. Videl turned to look behind her, but couldn't see a face. Just a kind smile that caused her heart to flutter.

The raven haired teen slept well that night.

* * *

"Videl! You won't believe what happened yesterday!"

Videl looked over at Erasa distractedly. "What happened yesterday?"

"Well, Gohan challenged our physics teacher and won!" Erasa grinned. "He was so cool! Wasn't scared at all! He walked right up there and solved that equation like a boss!"

"I don't believe you."

Sharpner chuckled at Erasa. "Told you so." He leaned closer to Videl, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "But it really did happen. That little wimp of a guy stood up to a teacher." He winced and pulled his arm away after receiving a painful twist to the wrist. "I knew the guy was smart, but he owned in physics class."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Of course he did Sharpner. He's practically a genius." Sarcasm dripped from her voice. Videl's eyes lost their focus as she stared off into the distance. Yesterday's news replaying in her mind. She had been thinking about it since waking up this morning. She even ignored Erasa when she brought it up on their way to school. _The gold fighter… boy at the Cell games… who is he?_ She didn't even notice when Gohan entered the classroom and took his seat.

"Good morning!" Gohan called happily. He'd had a good night too. Goten thought the outfit was super cool. Not as cool as his old one, but cool nonetheless. Goten woke him up, they did some light training, and he got ready for school. His energy level was within the bounds of being 'normal' and he felt pretty good with the world.

"Good morning Gohan." Erasa said. "Did you catch the news yesterday?"

"I didn't get to. Why? Did something happen?"

Erasa's eyes filled with stars. "Why the coolest, hottest, strongest, most gorgeous babe showed up in the city again yesterday!"

"R-really?" Gohan was confused. He obviously didn't follow the news. "What movie star was it?"

"Oh it wasn't a movie star!" Erasa sighed wistfully.

"It was the gold fighter." Sharpner said. "He showed up at a robbery yesterday. Videl was there too, right Videl?"

Videl came back to earth at the mention of the gold fighter. She nodded. "Yeah. I was there."

Gohan stiffened. _Ooooh no._

Erasa squealed. "Ohmygosh Videl! I forgot that you were there! What was he like?! Details, details!"

_No. Nonononononono._

"I don't know. He didn't say anything." Erasa made little spinning motions with her hands. "He was tall, golden blond..." Videl rested her chin on her hand. "Had these blue eyes that could see right through you… Powerful arms… Chiseled chest… Kind… Strong…"

_Nonono, wait… What did she say?_

"So dreamy huh? Oh girl… you got it bad!"

_Wh-what!?_

Videl was shaken from her reverie. "Say what?"

"You have a crush on the gold fighter!" Erasa giggled. "It's so obvious!"

_WHAT?!_

Videl blushed lightly. "No I don't! You are the one who was raving about how gorgeous the guy was!"

"Yeah, but that's because he is! Being attracted to the hottest guy on the planet isn't something to be ashamed of!"

"Ladies, please. I am _way_ more attractive than some random street thug." Sharpner flexed his biceps.

"Shut it Sharpner!" Videl hollered.

"Yeah! The gold fighter is way hotter than you!"

Sharpner lowered his arms with a pout. "I could take him."

"Yeah right. Hey Angela!" Erasa called down to another student. "You catch the news?"

"Yeah!" A red head hollered back.

"Hotness level?"

"It's over nine thousaaaaaaaaaand!" (I just went there)

She turned to Sharpner. "See? He outranks you in dateability!"

The conversation turned to who could take who in a fight. No one really noticed how red Gohan had turned. As the conversation had progressed, Gohan had turned varying shades of crimson until his whole face, neck and ears were redder than a fire truck.

_She… likes me? I'm… hot? What does that even mean?! _Gohan wished he could sink into the floor and die. _Videl likes me. Oh Kami… she likes me. Videl, the girl who is trying to tear apart my life, likes me. Oh Kami oh Kami oh Kami. _He looked over at Videl. The girl was arguing with Erasa about how she didn't like the gold fighter like that.

"I mean, I barely know the guy!" She claimed.

"Yeah, but he saved your life! That musta had an impact on you somehow!"

"It did! I'm alive aren't I?"

"So you admit that he was good-looking?"

"Fine! Yes! He was good-looking! Happy now?!" If it was possible to set your own head on fire by blushing, Gohan would be stop, drop, and rolling right now. "Sure he's a nice enough guy! Doesn't mean I like him! I know next to nothing about him! If anything I am curious about who he is!"

"Alright already! Geez!" Erasa huffed. "It's not like you're gonna die from liking a guy for once in your life."

_I'm good-looking? Since when?_ Gohan looked down at his clothing. _Videl likes the way I look? I mean… I wear this stuff every day!_ Then it hit him. She was talking about the gold fighter, not Son Gohan the student! He let out a breath of relief. _That's right! She doesn't know it was me. Good thing I wear these baggy clothes. No one can see how I really look. If she ever saw me in my training gear, she'd figure out that it was me in a heartbeat! I mean… _

_Gosh… Videl thought I was a nice._ A warm feeling spread in his chest. _She's not so bad after all._

"You don't talk to guys much. Besides Sharpner and Gohan anyway. Oh, and Saiyaman."

"Feh." Videl scoffed. "That jerk doesn't count."

Gohan visibly flinched. _Ouch._

She continued. "That bum didn't show up when we could've used his help yesterday. He's no superhero. He's just a freak of nature who can do stupid poses and spout pithy sayings about justice."

_I take it back. _Gohan lowered his head to the desk. _Videl is still mean._ He sighed heavily. _Why me? Why can't she find out about another superhero? Why does she have to try and find out _my_ secrets? Maaaan…_

"Aww cut him some slack Videl. He might've been off saving someone else or whatever."

"Hmm… Gohan, what do you think?"

"I… uh.." Videl caught Gohan off guard. _Think of something quick, genius!_ "Yeah, he was probably out saving someone or something."

"I don't know," Videl baited him, "that weakling superhero couldn't save much."

Gohan felt his temper spike. _She didn't really mean that. Deep breaths Gohan… _

"Yeah." Sharpner pitched in. "He could never be as strong as Mr. Satan."

Gohan felt his ki rise. _That… arrogant man…_ He tried to calm himself uselessly. Smiling weakly, he said, "Oh I don't know about that."

"Of course you wouldn't. He's the man who saved the planet. Plus, you don't seem liked the kind of guy who likes fighting." Videl stated.

"Ahah… yeah." _Why does that bother me? It shouldn't bother me… right?_

Videl looked at Gohan. He was acting strangely. He couldn't be angry… could he? Videl had never seen him angry. The idea intrigued her. She decided to press the envelope a bit further. "You're too much of a coward. Right?"

Gohan's eyes narrowed. "I am not a coward." His ki flared higher, distorting the air around him faintly. _If you think that some idiot weakling could defeat Cell, call those who gave their lives to save his and yours liars and tricksters, and then call _me_ a coward…_ He gripped the underside of the desk, not noticing how easily the metal warped under his fingers. _Who are _you_ to accuse me thus?! Who the hell do you think you are?! _

"Videl! That wasn't very nice!" Erasa admonished. "Besides, Gohan isn't a coward. You were gone when he stood up to that teacher yesterday. That took guts you know!" Videl's ire turned to Erasa. Gohan, for the moment, was ignored.

"Yeah. As much as I hate to say it, he's not as weak as you think he is Videl." Sharpner frowned.

Meanwhile, Gohan had stopped thinking. His anger was almost to the point that any slight movement might set him off.

_GOHAN! _A voice broke into Gohan's head. _Stop it Gohan! Breathe!_

_M-Mister Piccolo? _His rage cooled at his mentor's rough command.

_Remember your meditation, kid! Your ki is too unstable right now! You need to calm down! Just focus on breathing._ Piccolo stood on the roof of the school, channeling calming thoughts to the teen. _Turn your gaze to the teacher and focus on my words._

Gohan, still obviously angry, turned from Videl to look at the teacher. He relaxed slightly at Piccolo's voice. _Clear your mind, Gohan. Center your ki. _The enraged teen was so focused on his mentor's words that he almost missed what Videl said next.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Videl said. She turned to Gohan. "Sorry Gohan. I shouldn't have said those things."

_She's lying. _Gohan's senses screamed at him. _Lying through her teeth._ He clenched his jaw and nodded at Videl.

_Gohan! Keep your cool. Focus on your center and draw your power back into your body._

Gohan took several deep breaths and followed Piccolo's advice. His mentor kept sending soothing vibes to him. Telling him that school would be over before he knew it. Gohan in return, sent copious amounts of gratitude to the namekian warrior.

_If you are really thankful, then calm yourself down!_

Gohan finally got himself under control as the bell rang for lunch. A hand stopped him from getting up. His temper flared briefly at the contact.

"Gohan, I really am sorry. It was wrong of me to say stuff like that." Videl's eyes were downcast. "I… was being presumptuous and stupid and angry. Things have been weird the past couple days."

Shockingly, Gohan's frown softened. "Yeah, it's been strange for me too. No worries Videl." _If only you knew how strange._

Videl looked as if she was about to say something else when Erasa interrupted her. "Hey! You need to make it up to him if you are really that sorry about it. Why don't you invite Gohan to go to the mall with us?"

Videl and Sharpner groaned aloud. "What?" Gohan looked at them, perplexed.

"Shopping with Erasa is the worst thing you could possibly do after school." Videl complained. Sharpner nodded in agreement.

"You guys are just no fun!" Erasa pouted. "The mall has a game center where you can compete your stupid little brains out!" She grabbed onto Gohan's arm possessively. "Gohan and I will go shopping together! Right Gohan?"

"I… uhh…" _Help me out here Piccolo!_

_No way kid. _Piccolo's chuckles echoed across the link. _You're on your own here. I'll talk to you later._ And with that, Piccolo cut the call. His job here was done.

"Well? Wanna go out with us?" Erasa prompted.

"I… I can't today." Gohan managed to get out. "I promised mom that I'd get home to help her with.. uh.. shopping today." The hurt look on Erasa's face made him cringe. "B-but I can ask if I can go tomorrow… if that's alright." He looked over at Sharpner and Videl.

Sharpner shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

"Whatever." Videl crossed her arms over her chest.

Erasa squealed and released his arm. "I just can't wait!"

"Aheh. Yeah." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Can't wait…"

_CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP._ _What am I going to do about this?_

* * *

Videl was on her way home after another boring day at school. Gohan hadn't actually gotten riled up when she taunted him. He looked like he was pretty angry though. Maybe looks were deceiving.

_Well, I did kinda act like a jerk back there._ Videl sighed. _At least he was kind enough to forgive me about it._ They patched up things over lunch and had sat through the rest of the day like usual. In silence. This was actually one of the days she'd talked to Gohan more than usual. Though it was going to become more commonplace come tomorrow.

The raven haired teen mulled over her thoughts awhile before being interrupted by a shrill beeping. She pulled up her wrist communicator. "What is it chief?"

"Videl! We've had a prison break in the downtown area!"

"A prison break?!"

"The criminals that were apprehended yesterday overwhelmed the guards! They have taken over the police holding cell on South Livingston Street!"

"Are they armed?" Videl pulled out her jetcopter and decapsulized it.

"Yes, but only with small-caliber handguns. They have a number of policemen held hostage!"

"I'm on my way!" Videl jumped into her copter and headed full speed downtown.

She arrived on the scene just as gunfire rang out. The cop cars looked a little out of place surrounding the police station, but it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

Videl jogged up to the chief of police.

"Videl! Good to see you!" The chief waved toward the station. "They're holed up good and tight in there, Videl. We can't seem to flush them out."

"Is there another way inside?"

"Nope. This is a police station Videl! All other entrances are sealed from the inside."

"Drat!" Videl scowled. _What can we do now?_ "Can we cut off the power supply to the building?"

"Well, we should be able to.."

"FEAR NOT CITIZENS!"

Videl facepalmed. "Oh nooo." _Why does he decide to show up NOW?_

"Saiyaman! You came at the perfect time!" The chief seemed was rather pleased as he looked up. "We have a situa-" His sentence stopped abruptly as he took in Saiyaman.

Videl felt puzzled. "Chief what's wro-" Her eyes grew huge. "Sai… Saiyaman?!"

A man, in a dark blue and black outfit with white armor (I am not describing it again), floated above them. A black helmet covered his face. "The ONE and ONLY!" Videl could hear the grin in that ridiculous muffled voice.

She watched as he shot into the building, dodging bullets and knocking out baddies. Soon all the criminals were back in their cells, locked in firmly by a twisted piece of metal courtesy of Saiyaman.

He walked back out to the cops. He flashed a thumbs up as they all cheered wildly. Soon, all the cops had rushed inside to "take care of business" as it were.

"Thanks Saiyaman!" The chief called as he dashed inside.

"No problem!" Saiyaman started to pose. His arms lifted above his head. "For I am…"

Videl facepalmed again. _Yep. That's Saiya-dork alright._

Imagine her surprise when he stopped.

"Oh." He said, arms lowered. "I suppose that is kind of dorky, huh?"

Videl smiled to herself. "Since when did you start thinking that it was dorky?"

"Well a friend of mine said that it was." He rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed way.

"And who, pray tell, was this friend of yours?"

"Oh, uh… n-no one in particular."

"Huh. Tell them I said thanks. Those poses were really annoying."

"Hey!" Saiyaman folded his arms. "I worked hard on those!"

"Didn't make them any less annoying." Videl grinned. Too easy. She could practically feel the pout from underneath the helmet. "But you know, this new outfit looks good on you."

"…" Saiyaman seemed shell-shocked, but it was hard to tell with the helmet on.

_This is my chance! _"Why Saiyaman! Aren't you hot underneath that helmet?" Videl strolled up closer to him. "Here, let me help you take it off so you can get some air!"

"No! Er… I mean… that won't be necessary!" He flailed about briefly trying to keep distant from the girl. Videl kept on him, mirroring his moves as he tried to get away. As they moved, she couldn't help but notice and admire his bare arms and well accented chest.

_Wait, what was that? This is SAIYA-JERK we're talking about! Not the gold fighter or anyone!_ Her thoughts almost ruined her good mood. While Videl was distracted, Saiyaman did a double back flip and finally evaded her. _I'm going to have to come up with a better tactic._ She smirked to herself as she backed off, throwing in one last little jibe.

"Well, for as good as you look, the gold fighter is way better looking than you."

Saiyaman flinched. Videl raised her eyebrows at the motion. "Wait… don't tell me that you and the gold fighter are…"

"WAIT! Is that a CITIZEN IN DISTRESS I hear?! I must be off!" Saiyaman waved at her before floating up and away. "Goodbye young lady!"

"Hey wait!" He didn't wait. "Dang it Saiyaman!" Videl shook her fist at the retreating form of the superhero. _How lame! __That guy is up to something… _However, her annoyance at Saiyaman didn't last long. The teen crime fighter didn't even jump in her copter to follow him. Videl marveled at the difference the costume change made. _He seems… more like a superhero now. _She grinned to herself. _And he acted all jumpy when I mentioned the gold fighter. I bet he knows something about him. Could it be that they are the same person? _Videl scowled at the sky.

"I'll find you out, whoever you are." She said. "Just wait and see."

* * *

OH MY.  
That was intense. I am never writing that much in one sitting ever again.  
Seriously, the editing takes FOREVER.

A new Saiyaman?! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  
Cuz you know… saiyan changes better reflect in the outfit right? That's why the chapter title is death of 'A' saiyaman. Not 'THE' saiyaman. GRAMMAR IS WIN.

I also wanted to put in a much more hardcore Gohan-freaks-the-freak-out scene, but decided to save it for later when things REALLY start to get out of hand. Aaaaaaaand because I remembered that I wanted this to be more humorous and less… angsty/hormonal/angryangrystoof.

Thanks for reading! R&amp;R please for the continuation. I ACCEPT QUESTIONS.


	7. Conversations and Arcades

Talk nerdy to me.  
*plays saxophone loudly in a catchy tune*

**DISCLAIMER**: III-III-IIIIII'm… hooked on a feeling. I know I'm believein', that I don't own Dragonball Zeeeeeeeeeeee! -ooooooooh-

Ch. 7: Malls and Arcades

* * *

Gohan landed near a small waterfall in the woods outside his home. "Mr. Piccolo!" His muffled voice was jubilant.

The namekian looked up from his meditation. "Gohan." His eye ridges rose as he took in Gohan's new and improved saiyasuit. "Nice clothes."

"Oh! Do you like it?" Gohan pulled off his helmet, revealing dark eyes and a dazzling smile. "My last one got fried by a lightning bolt."

Piccolo grinned. "Bout time it died."

"Hey!"

"Gohan, I didn't lie to you when I said you looked absolutely ridiculous."

Gohan pouted at his mentor. "Aww c'mon!"

"At least this new costume makes you look somewhat tougher."

The pout dissolved to a smile as the second statement registered in his mind. "Thanks Mr. Piccolo!"

Piccolo 'hmmphed' and resumed meditating.

"…"

"…"

After a few minutes of listening to Gohan fidget, Piccolo sighed in irritation. "Was there something you need kid?"

"Oh… ah..." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah. How did you know that I was losing it in school today?"

Piccolo cracked an eye open. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, no offense, but you don't usually visit the city."

The tall green alien unfolded from his floating lotus position. "I have kept an eye on your energy since two days ago. I only stepped in when it rose in an uncontrolled way." His stern gaze softened a bit as he looked at Gohan. "I figured you were fine on that run yesterday, so I didn't interfere."

Gohan's face took on a shade of pink. "Oh… you saw that?"

"Took quite a nasty fall there."

"Sh-shut it." The comment floated between them without malice.

Piccolo chuckled again. "Don't worry kid, I won't tell."

Gohan let out a sigh of relief. He looked up at Piccolo. "Hey, would you spar with me?" The teen clenched his fists gently. "I still feel… unsettled."

"Unsettled huh?"

Gohan winced at his own choice of words. "Okay, more like… I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair. "I've never felt quite like this before. I was just so angry earlier… It was all I could do to keep from bursting." He looked up gratefully at Piccolo. "Thanks to you, I was able to get through the day."

"No sweat kid." Piccolo looked down at his former student. "Though you really need to keep a better grip on those emotions. What did they say that had you so riled up?"

"She called me a coward. They called my father… all our friends… fakes. Tricksters. Liars." Gohan's eyes narrowed into a scowl. "They claim that Hercule Satan…"

"I know kid." Piccolo interrupted. "But you've told me before that you didn't mind it."

"I don't! I mean I didn't!"

"So…"

"I don't know!" He threw his hands up. "It was like they thought we were weak! That our sacrifices meant nothing! How could I not get angry?!"

"You know that's not what they meant."

"I KNOW!" Gohan shouted. His ki spiked dangerously. "I know! But it's how I felt! I understand that I jumped to conclusions! BUT IT HAPPENED!"

"Gohan. Calm down."

The teen saiyan took a deep breath. "Sorry… It's just… I feel like I'm… _burning_ for a fight. I need…" He searched for the words uselessly.

"To prove that they're wrong."

Gohan froze. A dark gaze burned into Piccolo's eyes. He spoke one word in response.

"Yes."

The namekian smiled down at him. He set a hand on his head and ruffled the black spikes in a surprisingly comforting gesture. "You've no need to prove yourself to those idiots." He said, "If they wrote you off as a weakling so quickly, they are not worth your time and effort." Gohan looked up at him. "Remember Gohan, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Gohan hands clenched into tighter fists. "But, what if they're right? What if I really am weak? What if…"

"Gohan, if there is one thing you are not, it is weak."

"But…"

"Listen to me." Piccolo leaned over to look him in the eye, much like he did when Gohan was training under him as a young boy. "Vegeta said that you were trying to prove yourself during this time. To whom are you trying to prove?"

"I…"

"Just think about it." Piccolo straightened. "Everyone I know is proud of you Gohan. Proud of the man you are becoming. You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Gohan stood thunderstruck. He'd never really thought about it before. Gohan's brow furrowed as he pondered it. _To whom am I trying to prove myself? Not my family… not my friends… _

"It's me." His face cleared. "I'm the one trying to find out who I am."

Piccolo nodded. "So don't worry about proving yourself to anyone else. They will come to see you as you find out who it is you are."

Gohan smiled. His ki still fluctuated erratically. "That's right. I'm going through this in order to find my limits right?" He unclenched his fists and looked down at his palms. "I want to know what it means to be strong. The meaning behind the strength I have. These feelings… I know it'll be tough, but I have to know."

"Never forget that."

Gohan darted towards Piccolo suddenly, arms wide. Piccolo nimbly dodged the impending hug and sent Gohan sprawling behind him.

"Nope."

"Augh!" Gohan spat out a mouthful of dirt. "First you diss my outfit and then you reject a hug! Here I thought we were having a moment!"

"Moment my ass! I was just telling you so you could get over yourself!" Piccolo yelled, blushing slightly. Good thing no one was around to see his sensitivity to Gohan. That kid was the only one to elicit it from Piccolo. Not that anyone else would ever know.

Gohan picked himself up and dusted off his costume, smiling. "Thanks anyway though, Piccolo. That meant a lot." It really did.

"Humph."

"I still feel kind of pent-up though." Gohan rolled his shoulders. "Telling you about that helped me out, but I still feel like beating something."

"Sounds like you're looking for a challenge."

Gohan's eyes flashed at the implied words. "I suppose I am. So how about it?"

"Alright kid. I'll take you on." Piccolo smirked maliciously. "But don't come crying to me when you lose."

"Don't worry." Gohan returned the evil smile. "I won't."

* * *

The sun set slowly in the sky, setting the planet's atmosphere ablaze in color. The current guardian of earth, Dende, was relaxing peacefully on the lookout. Surveying the world. Watching the people go about their daily lives.

"Oh." Dende commented to himself. "Looks like there's a sandstorm in the desert. I'd better make sure that…" He trailed off, muttering about this and that. He turned to look to the other side of the lookout. "Welcome back Piccolo! How was Gohan?" He called out. He strolled over to the edge of the lookout.

"Piccolo!" He gasped. "What happened!?"

Piccolo drifted slowly upwards. His clothing, burnt and torn in numerous places, hung off his frame. One of his arms was missing and the stump was bleeding heavily.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned at Dende. "Gohan is doing well."

"No kidding! Gohan did this to you?" Dende helped him lower to the ground.

"Yeah." Dende laid his hands over Piccolo. He began healing him as the tall namekian spoke. "I challenged him to a fight."

"But that's crazy! You can't stand up to a super saiyan!"

"I know, but I can hold my own just fine against his normal form." Piccolo winced as his injuries healed. "Luckily we set rules in place so that he'd feel more challenged. No powering up. Just technique against technique."

Dende frowned. "And you lost."

"It was a difficult fight." Piccolo grinned. "I knew he was strong, but hell! That kid fought well even with normal energy levels!"

"I'm sure those hormones didn't help at all." Dende sighed as he finished healing his friend. "What was he trying to do, kill you? You said he'd be very volatile during this time. Moreso than even Vegeta!"

"No. The challenge was to incapacitate. Defeat. Not kill." Piccolo let out a shout. A new arm shot out of his shoulder to replace the old one. "I had no idea he had worked himself so hard on his own."

"You know, this doesn't exactly fill me with reassurance about Gohan's control. What if he snaps? What if you can't get him under control like those saiyans that Vegeta told you about?"

"For a guardian of earth, you worry far too much." Piccolo chuckled. "You've nothing to be anxious about. He's stronger than many people realize."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Dende smiled, thinking of his friend. "Gohan is really something else."

* * *

"Gohan, you're really something else." Videl sipped on her food court soda bemusedly. "Most people would've died by now."

Gohan slumped at one of the tables in the food court. "Somebody please… no more." Not from exhaustion mind, but from the sheer stress of Erasa's shopping spree.

"We warned you." Videl shook her head. They had finally gotten together to go out to the mall. She and Sharpner watched Gohan get dragged from store to store with Erasa. He, trying to be the gentleman, had opted to carry all of her purchases. It wasn't a hard job, but he also had to sit with her and give a running commentary on her wardrobe. Gohan was then forced to try several items on, none of which fit properly. They all seemed too big and baggy for the guy. They lost sight of the two for a while after that and finally met up again in the food court. Gohan seemed very… unsettled.

"Jeez Brains, don't be such a wimp." Sharpner sent a dig at the boy. "It's not really that bad."

Gohan was almost at his limit of restlessness. There were a few times during the spree where he pondered briefly about blowing up the mall. Yeah it would be bad, but he wouldn't have to suffer the tedium any longer. Even school was slightly better than shopping with Erasa.

He sent a sullen glare at Sharpner. "You want to trade, tough guy?"

"Heck no!" Sharpner waved him off. "I ain't that stupid!"

Videl didn't have the heart to laugh at the boys. She'd been shopping with Erasa too. Nightmares. Pink frilly nightmares.

Erasa, who was also sitting at the table, pouted. "You guys are such jerks! Right Videl?"

Videl frowned. "Don't rope me into this."

"It's not that bad!" Erasa pouted even harder, sticking her nose in the air. "We didn't even hit half the stores in the mall!"

The other three teenagers let out a collective groan. "UGH can we just go to the arcade already?" Sharpner complained, "I've about had my fill of clothes shopping today."

"FINE! Yeesh." Erasa stood up and stalked off to another section of the mall. "Since you're _dying_ to play some stupid game instead of spending time with your friends."

"Aww Erasa, don't be like that!" Sharpner stumbled after her, trying to smooth her ruffled feathers. "Just look at it this way…" Their conversation grew soft as they walked further away.

Gohan and Videl silently got up to follow the blondes. Neither wanted to admit the relief they felt. Shopping was something neither of them enjoyed much. They walked beside each other awkwardly for a while. Things were still a little tense between the two. Not quite friends, but the atmosphere wasn't as bad as it had been in the past though.

"And you say that you've never been to a mall before?" Videl asked Gohan as they walked.

"No, not really." Gohan rested his head on the table. Good thing it was a Saturday. The teens had the freedom to do whatever. Which meant shopping with the diva/devil incarnate, Erasa. "Though I can't really see the appeal."

"It's not a bad place. Erasa just gets a little… overambitious coming here."

"No kidding." Gohan grinned. "She's like my little brother at an all you can eat buffet."

"Man, I'd hate to see meals at your house. If your brother eats anything like you do."

They had reached a comfortable silence upon finding the arcade. The dark entrance loomed before them. There were lights flashing within and music pounding from several different game consoles. The air smelled a little musty, but not altogether unpleasant. Kind of like a static, sugary, dusty smell.

"C'mon guys! Let's play!" Erasa called happily from inside.

Gohan looked around nervously. A few people were already inside. No one he recognized, thank Kami. He walked over to one particular shooting game and picked up the gun attachment. He sensed Videl come up behind him and spoke over his shoulder.

"What's this game?"

Videl hid her surprise at being noticed so quickly and said, "It's a shooting game. You have to hit clay pigeons out of the air to get points." She pulled out some quarters and popped them in the machine. Grabbing the second gun, she said, "Here, I'll show you."

"Thanks. You know, I've never been in an arcade before."

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose to new heights. "You really need to get out more Gohan."

"Yeah… Tell me about it." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck in that nervous habit of his.

Videl looked down the scope of her gun and shot out a few of the clay pigeons. Videl had confidence in her skills, but she didn't want to show up the new guy. Soon her turn was over and she gestured to Gohan. "Your go."

He missed the first pigeon. It was kinda hard to shoot this gun. He wasn't really used to it. _What if I think of this like shooting ki blasts? Maybe if I pretend I'm doing the same thing… _Gohan held the gun out at arm's length.

"Gohan what are you…" Videl voice petered out as he shot the remaining clay pigeons with incredible precision.

He turned to her as his turn finished. "Like that?" He smiled happily. _This isn't so bad._

"Uh... yeah. L-like that." Videl shook herself out of her wide-eyed expression and looked at him suspiciously. "And you said you've never played this game before?"

"Yep."

"Really."

Gohan's smile faded at her look. "What?"

"Nothing." Videl shook her head. If he was gonna lie, then who better to oust him then the best videogame shooter this side of the Mississippi? (yeah no.) A slow grin spread across her lips. "I'm not gonna go easy on you. It's time for round two!"

Round two proceeded much like the first round. Videl shot nearly every one while Gohan made each shot perfectly.

_What is this madness?_ Videl glared at the boy beside her. "Not bad Son Gohan. But it'll take more than that to beat me."

Gohan grinned at her. "If you say so Videl."

Round three ended the short battle. Winner, Gohan!

Videl scowled at the screen and tossed her gun carelessly at the console. "Lousy game. C'mon! I want to try against you in street fighter!"

_Street fighter?_ Gohan thought to himself. _That sounds interesting. _He followed Videl over to another console adorned with bright colors and people in fighting gi.

"So… How do you play this game?" He asked the raven haired girl.

"You use the joystick and buttons to move and control your character." She said confidently, putting quarters into the machine. "I'll go easy on you for the first round. Though it won't do you any good."

Gohan bristled slightly at this. _It's just a game… Just... A game._ He picked his fighter and hit the start button.

It wasn't long before he figured out how to play. It was easy to memorize the combinations and predict his opponent's movements. But it took him too long to understand the game. Videl ended up winning round one.

Videl smirked triumphantly. "What'd I tell you?" She said.

"Hey! That was my first time playing this game!" He said indignantly.

Sharpner appeared at Videl's side to watch. He'd been playing a racing game, but got bored after the first few races. The muscle-bound blond couldn't resist throwing in a taunt. "What's this? The class nerd can't keep up with a real martial artist?"

Gohan felt the telltale fire of competition flicker in his chest. "Just wait till the next round!" He gritted his teeth and turned his attention to the screen.

Two rounds, a few hadokens and a shoryuken later, Gohan's character was standing victorious.

"Hey!" Videl scowled him. "How'd you do that?"

"I guess I'm just a natural." He smirked at the dark scowl on Videl's face. _Ooooh, that felt good._ Achievement acquired: winning a fighting game against the feisty female fatale. Showing her up at something, no matter how insignificant, felt delicious.

Gohan checked himself. Keeping a lid on his competitive nature was proving harder than he thought. It felt nice after so much inactivity with Erasa, but any more might prove hazardous.

"Yeah, a natural at nerd-games." Sharpner scoffed. "Let's do something else."

Gohan scowled at the back of the blonde's head. _Why's he have to be such a jerk about it?_ The three walked around a corner to find Erasa stomping it out on DDR.

"What's this game?" Gohan asked the giggling dancer on the platform.

"It's called Dance Dance Revolution!" She called out jumping up and down. "You have to dance and hit the buttons on the floor in sync with the music." She demonstrated further, but did a horrible job. This went on for a while before Videl got frustrated with her performance.

"Step down Erasa! Let me show you how it's done." Videl pushed the blond off the platform as the song ended. She chose a song at random and started stomping to the beat. Yeah, technically it was called "dancing", but it was more like determined stomping. In short, Videl was barely any better than Erasa.

"HA! You're just as bad as she is!" Sharpner laughed as the song ended.

"Shut up Sharpner!" Erasa biffed him with her purse. "I played this game to have fun! Not beat somebody's high score!"

"Ladies please, let me show you how a man does it." He swapped places with Videl who also biffed him quite roughly on the arm. They had made such a ruckus that a small group gathered around to watch the teens dance.

Sharpner did a good job. He upped the level of difficulty and stomped like a madman. Yes there was sweating and panting when the song ended, but he got rank A. The people around applauded quietly.

"Ha!" He breathed to his friends and the small crowd. "Beat that!"

"Wow Sharpie! I didn't know you were that good at this game!" Erasa said. She turned to Gohan suddenly. "Gohan, you should try it out!"

"W-what?" Gohan was too caught up thinking about how much he'd rather be elsewhere right now. The teen saiyan felt too restless for videogames.

"Yeah ya bookworm! Try it out." Sharpner said, catching his breath. "You'll never be able to top that performance anyway."

A look of intensity crossed Gohan's face. However, it passed so swiftly that in retrospect, most everyone thought they imagined it. After all, this was mild-mannered Gohan we're talking about!

Videl shook herself. _What was that?_ "You gonna do it or what?" She said impatiently.

He took a deep breath. After shopping, he'd been ready to start blowing things up to relieve tension. _You want challenge me? Fine. I'll take you on. _"Sure." Gohan said out loud. "I'll give it a shot." _Anything to release some energy. _He climbed on the platform and selected a song. Unbeknownst to the dark-haired male, Sharpner hit the down arrow and upped the difficulty level. He snickered to himself and stood next to Videl.

Videl saw this and snorted. She didn't say anything to Gohan about it though. _Like Gohan would be able to beat Sharpner at that level. _She thought. _Stupid male arrogance._ (Videl is the saaaaaame)

Gohan bounced in time with the music as the notes appeared on the screen. He hit the first couple no problem. His movements flowed together, unlike his companions stomping, he had a kind of grace. The music sped up as did the steps he took. Music whirled around him and caught him up in its melody. Even his ki rose a bit. _It's kind of like martial arts. Like following a kata._ He allowed his muscles to loosen as he danced. _This is… kind of fun._

Gohan was a surprisingly good dancer. At least at DDR.

The song ended on a high note. Gohan even did a pose like the character on the screen. As the score was tallied, he could hear cheering behind him. Gohan turned around to see the crowd behind him clapping loudly and calling encouragements. He felt embarrassed, dancing in public is embarrassing, but was still pleased. And as good as that applause made him feel, the look on Sharpner's face made him swell with mirth. That boy did a good gasping fish impression.

"Th-that's crazy!" Sharpner spluttered, eyes wide. "No one is that good on the first try!"

"What?" Gohan turned and felt panic at seeing his score. _Crapsandwich!_

"Rank triple 'S'?" Videl whistled softly. She felt impressed despite herself, but no use letting a chance like this go to waste right? "Something you're not telling us Gohan?"

_Frackfrackfrack I'm not supposed to be that good!_

"Yeah Gohan! That was amazing!" Erasa gushed. "Do you take dance classes or something?"

Gohan looked around in a panic. _Think of something quick!_ "Oh, uh… well..." He leaned back casually against the console and gave it a swift and discreet kick.

Normally, this would have made the machine crumple and fly off to the far wall. However, Gohan had the smart idea to try to fry the circuitry from the inside by transferring his energy through his foot. Immediately the machine let out a loud whining noise. Its screen dissolved into jumbles of images and broken lines of code. The lights flickered and a puff of smoke billowed out of the side.

"Oh no!" Erasa looked horrified. "That was my favorite game!" The crowd scattered before they were caught with the troublemakers.

_Sorry Erasa, I'll fix it later I swear!_ Gohan hopped off the platform to find an arcade attendant. "I'll go get help!"

"It must have been on its last legs." Videl walked around to look at the back of the machine. "Funny, it was working just fine a moment ago."

"Well maybe not. I mean… Nerd-boy was actually winning." Sharpner looked at the machine smugly. "No way could he really do that."

"I think that was all Gohan." Erasa said. "No machine, broken or otherwise could fake those moves."

"Yeah well, he did dance pretty good." Sharpner allowed. "But there was no way his score was that high."

"Ahah… yeah." Gohan returned with another guy who slapped a 'broken' sign on the front of the console and left. "It must've been the machine." Outwardly he was nervous looking, but inside he was a little more than annoyed. _Kami Sharpner! Agree right off the bat why don't you! If I wasn't trying to keep my identity hidden… _He took a deep breath. "Let's try a different game?" He suggested.

"Alright." Videl looked around for a moment. _Gohan, did you have anything to do with that? What are you hiding?_ She pointed to a console on the other side of the arcade. "There's a test your strength game over there. Let's try that. I want to see how strong you guys are."

_Test your strength? I'm game for th-No! NONONONONONONONONONO! BAD IDEA. _Gohan smiled and nodded. "Sure." _… Is this my life now? Kami I hate hormones._

The four teens walked up to the test your strength game. It was your standard punching bag tethered to a console to measure punch ability. Bad ju-ju for a certain half saiyan.

"I'll go first." Videl stepped up to the game and dealt a swift right straight to the punching bag. Lights flashed and loud music rang out.

"HIGH SCORE!"

"Yeah yeah, we get it. Videl strongest there is." Erasa shook her head at her best friend. "No surprise there."

Sharpner was next. He hit the bag with a left hook. Lights flashed and his score came up. Lower than Videl's and more than a few others.

"What was that about being stronger than other guys Sharpner?" Videl smirked.

"Yeah yeah, shut it." Sharpner stomped off to another game. "Stupid thing's rigged anyway."

Erasa took her turn quickly. She isn't that strong so she thought nothing of her low score. The bubbly blond teen turned to Gohan. "Your turn!"

"Oh. Uh… I don't know how good I'll be." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm not so good at punching." _Think, Gohan, THINK!__  
_

"Well neither am I, but I did alright!" Erasa encouraged him.

"I get that but… uh..."

Videl scowled. "Just hit the stupid thing." Patience outside of a stake out was never her strong suit.

"Oh... okay..." Gohan got into the worst stance he could possibly imagine and touched his badly clenched fist to the bag. "Like this?"

Videl scowled harder. "Are you trying to piss me off or something?"

"N-no! I just d-don't know much about boxing!" Gohan winced. _Well, that's not completely un-true…_

"Augh." Videl shook her head in disgust. _This doesn't seem right. Gohan doesn't know how to throw a punch? I'm not barking up the wrong tree am I? _ "Here." She grabbed his wrist. "Make a fist with your thumb outside your fingers. You'll break your thumb if you keep it on the inside." She pushed at his chest gently. "Don't lean so far forward. You need to balance yourself so that throwing a punch won't hurt your body."

Gohan blushed at the close contact. _Ohhhh geez. Ohhhh geez Videl's RIGHT THERE. _He almost forgot himself and moved back into his former stance. But, luckily, she already had him move into a loose stance that was just right for amateur punching.

"Now hit the dang thing!" Videl's frustration grew.

"Ah! Yes ma'am!" Gohan pulled his arm back. _Gotta make this look good…_ And with a mighty swing…

…completely missed the bag.

So much so, that he toppled over, smacking his head on the side of the console.

"BAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA." Sharpner cracked up laughing across the room.

"You're so pathetic Gohan." Videl shook off her disappointment and offered a hand to the fallen boy. "But go big or go home right?" Videl found herself chuckling as she pulled him to his feet. She patted him on the back as he cradled his aching head. "I mean, that was one spectacular way to fail a punching game." _Seems he's not hiding anything after all. I must seem like a real jerk, being suspicious of him like that. He's probably just good at video games._

"Oh c'mon guys!" Erasa pouted. "I bet he coulda got one of the high scores if he hit it!"

Sharpner laughed some more. "_If_ he hit it!" The blond teen walked over to his friends. "Come on. I'll treat you guys to ice cream. Brains whiffing at that punching game just made up for all the shopping we went through." He patted Gohan on the shoulder. "Dude, I'll even get you a banana split for that splitting headache of yours." Sharpner turned and lead the girls out the door, laughing good-naturedly.

But Gohan just stood there.

_Why did I just do that?_ He looked from the retreating forms of his classmates to his fist. _There was no reason for me to miss that punching bag. Why did I miss it?_ Gohan shook his head. _I know it was to keep my identity a secret… but is it really such a big deal?_

He turned again to the punching machine. The conversation he had with Piccolo resurfaced in his mind. _If they found out about it, would it really be so bad?_ The dark-eyed teen settled into his customary stance and focused on the punching bag. _Would it kill me to be honest with them? To let them know who I am?_ He pulled his right arm back and held it there. _They'd see me differently, but I could handle it. Right?_ A breeze arose around him as his ki rose. His muscles bunched with the sudden influx in power._ After all, I am different. There is no shame in that. I am not who they think I am. Why do I need to hide it? Like Piccolo said, if they don't like me for who I am, they aren't worth my time and effort! _

Gohan let fly his punch.

The bag tore from the machine and went crashing through the wall. Surprisingly though, the game console didn't break completely. No lights flashed, no music played. Heck the poor machine didn't have a number to describe that punch. Instead, as many zeroes as would fit on the screen came up as the ultimate high score. Gohan typed in his initials and turned from the console.

GHN 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_I refuse to conform to how they think I should be. As I discover myself, they will see me as I really am._ Gohan walked confidently out of the arcade with Piccolo's words echoing in his head.

* * *

"No way!" Erasa whispered to herself. She'd gone back to get Gohan after realizing they'd left the poor guy behind. She just walked into the arcade to see him punch the living daylights out of that game. Luckily Gohan was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice her just outside the entrance.

"No way! " But it was true! Erasa's eyes nearly popped out of her head at what happened a scarce 2 minutes ago. The muscles in his arm bulged just enough to see them beneath his baggy shirt. His body flowed into the punch so perfectly. His intense dark eyes…. "Nooo way!" Gohan. Cute, nerdy Gohan was secretly a tough guy?! "No way!" Secretly a cool, tough, strong, manly…

"Ohmygosh no WAY!" Erasa squealed. "NowaynowaynoWAY!"

"'No way'? What do you mean 'no way'?"

Erasa whirled around. Gohan stood before her, a puzzled look on his handsome face.

"You… but you…and that…" Erasa stuttered, eyes filled with stars. "No waaaaaaay." She said dreamily.

He smiled at her, confused. "You okay?"

Erasa's mind exploded.

Luckily, Gohan caught her before she hit the ground. The saiyan teen looked at the passed out blond in his arms.

"What was that about?"

* * *

OH MY. This went a little different from I had planned. Buuut I am satisfied none-the-less.  
BTW thanks for the good reviews about Saiyan-speare. I don't know if I'll continue that though. I've always had a penchant for re-writing characters into fairy-tales from around the world. I might make that my next project… or like a break between chapters. Like the Saiyan-speare.  
*coughshamelessplugcough*

SO things got super busy since I last posted.

I GOT ENGAGED.

That's why I hadn't been able to update.  
-squeal-

Thanks for reading! Please review this chappy if you like it. If not… well. *coughcough*


	8. A Rough Day for Secrets

Ever wonder what happens to horseshoe crabs after they get thrown back into the sea by a 6-year-old after coming ashore to lay their eggs?

… I was a horrible child.

**A/N**: So the last chappy was kind of tame. This one is a little more hard-core. Language warning!

**DISCLAIMER**: I wish I was the owner of Dragonball Z. But alas, if wishes were fishes I'd have a really smelly house. I don't own anything.

Ch. 8: A Rough Day for Secrets

* * *

BZZZZZZZZRT

BZZZZZZZZZZZRT

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZRT

BZZZZZZZZ-WHAM!

Gohan blinked blearily at the shattered remains of his alarm clock.

"Shit." He grumbled. "Mom's gonna have my hide for that one." He pulled himself out of bed slowly. Yesterday Gohan spent the day with Vegeta, trying to find his limit. Unfortunately he didn't want to let himself go all out. There were consequences to letting power levels rise too high in a populated area. Even though they were in the new and improved gravity chamber. He kept thinking about what had happened at the mall. They all split up after finding out that Erasa fainted. Sharpner offered them a ride home, but Gohan made an excuse about travel and ended up staying a while before leaving. He had to go back and fix those game consoles after all.

Surprisingly, Gohan also managed to stop a crime as Saiyaman in the same mall. Videl still pestered him, but gave up to instead escape the paparazzi. Overall, it was a pretty good day. But the whole incident with the punching machine left him more than a little distracted. Eventually Vegeta got frustrated, said some choice words, and left him alone to train solo.

Gohan made a slow path to the door. Too bad he forgot about the clothes left on the floor from the night before. The poor saiyan teen promptly tripped over them to face-plant on the floor.

"SONOFVA…" Gohan rolled over on his back and held his aching head. He waited until the pain subsided before getting up. He looked back at the broken alarm clock. "I was right," he mumbled through gritted teeth, "today is going to suck." He stumbled to the door and yanked it open roughly.

It came off the hinges in his hand. "Shit." He repeated. Gohan looked at the now useless door in his hand. "This is just great." He leaned the unhinged door up against the wall and looked at it balefully. The door said nothing. "Screw tanning my hide. Mom will murder me when she finds out."

Groaning at the world, he stumbled down the hall to the bathroom only to find it occupied.

"Hey!" He banged lightly on the door. "I need to use the bathroom. Hurry it up."

"You better not be talking to me in _that_ tone of voice young man!"

Gohan groaned again. "Sorry mom." _It figures._ "Just let me know when you're finished." The shower started running and Gohan tossed his hands in the air before turning to leave. She'd be in there for a half hour at least. He stumbled back to his room and flopped into bed, successfully hitting his head on the bedside table and cracking it in half.

"AUGH!" He gripped his head tightly. _First the clock, then the door, and then mom…_"Stupid… kami-forsaken… lousy frickin'… son of a mother loving-"

"Big brother?"

Gohan caught himself before he cussed in front of his brother. Bad days shouldn't be taken out on one's younger siblings. "Hey Goten." He straightened out of his fetal position. "Why are you up so early?"

"Well, you were at Trunks' house all day yesterday, and before that you were out in the city," Goten looked down at his feet shyly, "and I wanted to play with you and train with you and show you this cool dinosaur I found and …"

"Woah! Slow down there squirt!" Gohan chuckled, cracking a smile for the first time all morning. "What are you trying to say?"

"Well… you said we could play together if I got up early enough that one time…" Goten looked pleadingly up at his older brother. It wasn't cool to ask to spend time with your brother at his age. Even if he wanted to ask about it really, really badly.

Luckily for the blushing 6-year-old, Gohan got the hint. "You want to go train together for a while?" He smiled openly.

Goten nodded. "Can we?"

"Only if you don't tell mom."

The small saiyan pumped his fist in the air. "All right! Lemme go get my gi on!" he said before scurrying off to his own room to get dressed.

Gohan got up from his bed. _Maybe today won't be so bad after all._ Goten somehow made things better. Call it what you will, but Gohan had a special place in his heart for his baby brother. With Goku gone, Gohan had to step it up and become the male role model for the kid. As a result, they were very close. Yeah they still had their arguments and tussles. All siblings have those. But they had something that ran deeper than that.

Gohan carefully stepped over his dirty clothes and pulled out a fresh gi from his dresser. He slipped into them and quietly flew out his window to start warming up on the lawn. Goten joined him a moment later and together, they started doing a simple kata.

"Hey Gohan?" Goten's small fists flew in rapid combos, mimicking his older brother's movements.

"Yeah Goten?"

"Could you teach me how to fly?"

Gohan moved from punches to kicks. "Sure. When would you like to learn?"

"Could you teach me today?"

"I guess. But you'd have to wait until I got home from school."

Goten interrupted his kata by jumping up and wrapping his small arms around Gohan's neck. "Thanks big brother! I can't wait!"

Gohan laughed and spun around. "Me either!" He tossed the giggling boy into the air, dropped to the ground, and began to do some push ups. Goten landed on his back with a loud thud.

"Hey! Extra weight shouldn't move around so much!" Gohan said as Gotten got to his feet.

"Deal with it!" Goten shouted, jumping up and down on his new springboard. "Come on ladies! Keep it up!"

"Ladies?"

"Ye-ap!" Goten grinned, "Trunks says it's supposed to help moti-late ya."

"Motivate me huh? Well I'd rather be offered some breakfast than be called a lady!" Gohan pushed his legs into the air and balanced on his hands. "Seems like he's got some stuff to learn about motivation!" Goten scrambled up his torso to stand on the bottoms of his upraised feet.

The 6-year-old giggled as Gohan did vertical pushups. "No back talk ladies! And ONE and TWO and ONE and TWO and…"

"GOHAN! GOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The boys froze. Goten looked down at his brother. Gohan looked up and held a finger to his lips.

"GOHAN YOU BETTER GET IN THIS HOUSE RIGHT THIS SECOND!"

Goten crawled down Gohan to look him in the eye. "She sounds real mad Gohan." He whispered, black spiky hair drooping to the ground as he clung upside-down to his brother.

Gohan let himself tumble to the ground, flipping Goten onto the grass. "C'mon then." He sighed. "Let's go inside."

* * *

Gohan slumped at his desk. His ears still smarting from the chewing out he got from his mother. Chichi had come up to his room, intending to wake him up to use the shower. Upon finding the door off the hinges, she dashed inside, found the decimated alarm clock, the dirty clothes on the floor, the broken bedside table, and the broken shoes that Gohan had taken from underneath his mattress to throw out. (did you forget about those?)

Chichi really knew how to make a tirade. Gohan didn't get a word in edgewise. After a solid 20 minute rant, she stopped after seeing Goten nearly in tears. Chichi then stormed off to the kitchen to make breakfast, leaving her last words hanging in the air. Accusatory words that burned in Gohan's head.

"Why couldn't I have had a normal family?!"

The saiyan teen rested his head on the polished surface of the desk, fingering the warped metal of the underside beneath his fingers. He'd nearly lost it at her parting shot. Broiling at his mother's angry words, he'd gone straight to his room, changed, and blasted off to school. He didn't even notice how high his ki had gotten. By the time he'd gone halfway to school, Gohan had already reached super saiyan.

_Kami, why did Goten have to see that?_ Gohan remembered seeing the expression on Goten's face as he left. His brother looked so forlorn standing there, eyes wide and frightened. It had taken everything he had to keep from retaliating against his mother's words and if he spoke… Hell, exploding in front of Goten was the last thing he wanted.

_What was wrong with Mom this morning? That was uncalled for! I mean… This IS normal for me! There is nothing wrong with who… with WHAT I am! _Gohan shut his eyes and waited for class to start. No use working himself into a tizzy again. He sighed deeply. _What am I going to do? _His stomach grumbled a protest from skipping breakfast, but he ignored it stoically. No lunch capsules made it inside his bag either. He was going to regret leaving so quickly, but whatever.

During his flight to school he calmed down enough to revert to his normal state, but was still far too tense for his own good. The dark-eyed teen entered the building early to simmer down and wait for class to start. Normally if he was this early, he'd patrol the city for criminals. However, Gohan felt that if he did that today, someone might die from excessive force. It was a little too early yet for classes to start, so he simply relaxed at his desk. Yeah the school was open, but most students hadn't even shown up. The few people there were setting up, reading quietly, or talking with their friends. It was kind of peaceful.

Too bad that peace was somewhat lost on the troubled mind of the teenaged saiyan.

He buried his head in his arms. "What a mess." He mumbled to the desk.

"Rough morning cutie?"

Gohan jerked his head up. "E-Erasa? What're you doing here so early?"

Erasa shrugged. "Well handsome, I don't get the chance work on homework at home so I usually get here pretty early." She pulled out her chair and settled down at her desk. "You're never early, so you never knew about it."

_H-handsome? I think I'm hearing things. _"That makes sense I guess." Gohan returned his head back to his arms.

Erasa studied his spiky hair a moment. "You know Gohan, I never thought you were the macho type."

Gohan raised his head just enough to shoot her an incredulous look. "What?"

"Oh you know… punching the living daylights out of that strength testing game after we all left." Erasa smiled and shook her head. "Even after whiffing on it so hard right before."

Gohan's entire body seized up. _Oh FRACK! She saw me? SWEET BABY DENDE she saw me!_ He willed himself to relax and let one hand wander up to rub the back of his neck.

"Erasa, I have no idea what you are talking about!"

Erasa grinned and poked a finger in his direction. "You can't lie to me. You stayed back after we left to go get ice cream. I went to find you and I saw you do it!"

Gohan's heart sank like a rock. "Are you sure it was me? I mean, I did stay back, but that was to see if I could help fix the DDR machine. I was the last person to use it after all. Maybe you mistook some other guy as me…" _Please buy it Erasa! Please! This day is bad enough without you telling everyone that I'm some kind of freak!_

"Nope! It was totally you!"

_Dang it!_ "Are you sure? You must've hit your head pretty hard. After all, we did find you passed out on a park bench."

"You mean YOU found me passed out on a park bench! You can't weasel your way out of this one Gohan!"

"Geez! Who are you, Videl?" He stared at the blond. "You certainly _look_ like Erasa though…"

"Ha ha. So funny. Gohan the comedian."

"At least I'm not the one peppering you with questions and accusations."

"Oh Videl doesn't do that _all_ the time."

"Sure. And Sharpner _doesn't_ straighten his hair."

"Will you just admit that it was you?"

He sighed, tired of trying to argue. "I don't know Erasa, I don't think it could have been me." Gohan smiled mirthlessly. "I'm the 'nerd boy', remember?"

"You totally did do it!" Erasa frowned. "And anyway, is that really all you consider yourself to be?"

Gohan snorted. "Nope, but it's all anyone really cares to know about me. So why give them the knowledge that I'm anything more?" He buried his face back in his arms. "If no one even wants to be friendly towards me or find out more about me personally, why waste my time on them?"

"At least give us a chance!" Erasa said indignantly. "What do you think taking you to the mall was for?"

"Gee, I dunno." Gohan's muffled voice imitated her own. " 'Videl, you oughta make it up to him by taking the cutie to the mall!' Yeah. A real attempt to get to know me alright. Pity dates do that quite well."

"That's not…"

"It wasn't?" Gohan's dark eyes pierced hers.

For a second Erasa held his gaze, astounded at such eyes. They were so deep. She looked away suddenly, ashamed. "Well… maybe it was. A little."

"Ahuh."

"Maybe… maybe a lot."

"Mmhmm."

"B-but I really enjoyed shopping with you! It was a lot of fun!"

"Ahuh."

"A-and Videl and Sharpner had a good time too!"

"Ahuh."

Erasa sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Gohan. I didn't mean for you to feel that way."

"Mhmm."

"I just…" Erasa gestured with her hands uselessly. "I just never…"

"Took the time to get to know me."

Erasa, eyes downcast, nodded. "Yeah."

"…"

"I really am sorry Gohan." Erasa fiddled with her hands. "I guess I… I was really selfish about that wasn't I?" She looked back up, guilt clear in her eyes. "I'm sorry Gohan. Can you forgive me?"

Gohan met her light blue eyes with his onyx ones. He looked at her a while, gauging her. Ignoring the other students beginning to trickle into the classroom.

His expression softened and he smiled gently. "Yeah. I forgive you." _Why not? Everyone makes mistakes. There is no reason to hold it against her. _"And I did enjoy myself a little bit."

She sniffled a bit, but smiled. "Thanks Gohan."

"Sure thing. You weren't that much of a jerk anyways." Gohan laid his head back on his arms. "Ignorance and lack of interest does not a jerk make."

Erasa giggled, tears forgotten. "So does this make us friends?"

Gohan looked thoughtful. "I guess so. I mean if you still want to get to know me. The real me." _Superhero secrets aside of course._

"Of course I do!" Erasa bopped him on the shoulder. "You are such a cool guy Gohan. I thought so even before going to the mall."

He chuckled along with her. Erasa Rubbers. His first friend in high school. Bubbly, ditzy, shop-aholic Erasa. Could be worse. "You are smarter than you seem, Erasa."

"Hey thanks. So! Now that we are officially friends…" Erasa leaned in close. Gohan backed up slightly, not liking where this was going. "Did you really punch that machine so hard that you broke it?"

"Ah. Well…" Gohan's face flushed. "That is…"

Erasa let out a squeal. "You DID! I knew it!" She flailed around briefly. "I thought I might've been hallucinating, but you really did pulverize a punching bag! How cool is that! You must be totally ripped to be able to pull off a stunt like that! Ohmygosh Gohan is secretly a hottieeeeee!"

"Shhhhhh!" Gohan hushed her quickly, noticing as more students entered the classroom. "Not so loud! Please just keep this between the two of us, okay?"

Erasa nodded. "Alright, but I don't see why."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"This only makes you like…100% cooler!"

Gohan's face suddenly took on a Krillin-like expression of disbelief. "Is this why you wanted to become my friend?"

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe…."

"Erasa!"

"Okay okay!" Erasa blushed slightly. "You were just so cool that I had to know more! I really meant what I said about being sorry for my attitude toward you earlier. I didn't intentionally mean to be a jerk you know!"

"I don't believe it." Gohan shook his head in exasperation. "You saw me wreck that game and decided to be friends with me then and there?"

"Yep!" Erasa said brightly.

Gohan's face took on an expression of wonder. "You… you don't think I'm strange?"

"Not at all! Well, okay it is a little strange, but this only makes you cooler!" Erasa grinned. "I thought you were a great guy from the get-go! Smart, cute, and ohmygosh! You've got to tell Sharpner and Videl!"

"Wow." _Piccolo was right. _"I mean, no! I don't want people to only want to be friends with me because of something stupid like that. We can't tell anyone!"

"Tell anyone what?"

Gohan spun in his seat to face Sharpner. "NOTHING. AHAHAHAHAHAHA." Gohan said much too loudly. "NOTHING AT ALL." He promptly whipped out his textbook and buried his nose in it. _Smooth Gohan._ The saiyan teen smacked himself mentally. _Real smooth._

Sharpner glanced over at Erasa who shrugged. He shook his head. "Whatever man." Sharpner took his seat two over from Erasa.

Erasa ignored him and continued her conversation with Gohan. "Well, if they ask me about it, I am not going to lie to them!"

"That's fine, but don't go prodding them to ask you!"

"Fine!" Erasa pouted briefly. "Hey, you doing anything later today?"

Gohan was a bit blindsided by the question. "Uh...Y-yeah. I promised my little brother I'd play with him when I got home."

"Aww how sweet!" Little hearts appeared in her eyes. "I didn't know you had a little brother!"

Sharpner looked over at the two of them. "Since when are you two so buddy-buddy?"

Erasa frowned at the blond muscle head. "Since now! Don't be such a jerk Sharpner!"

Sharpner looked surprised. "Sorry. Didn't mean to rub you the wrong way there Erasa. I just wondered." Sharpner turned back to whatever he was doing earlier.

Gohan's mind reeled. _That… just happened._ Acheivement acquired: Make new friends.

Erasa looked over at Gohan smugly. "There! How do you like that, Mr. The-World-Hates-me?"

Gohan got over his shock enough to chuckle slightly. "Mr. what now? You're slipping with the insults." He threw back.

She stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. "Admit it! I am the best at cheering people up!"

"Thanks Erasa." Gohan smiled earnestly. "I really needed it after this morning." Erasa swooned slightly at his honest smile.

"Oh? Even super geniuses have off days?" Sharpner scoffed from across the way, effectively stopping the conversation. "That is _such _a relief!"

Gohan's smile vanished. "That's not very nice Sharpner. Everyone has bad days."

"And then he talks back? Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes-Too-Smart-For-You has a bad day? Oh the humanity!" Sharpner smirked mockingly. "Totally shocking."

_Don't push your luck there Sharpner._ As pleased as Gohan was by the sudden change in relationship status with his classmate, the morning's events still weighed heavily in his mind. A volatile, hormonal saiyan, even one incognito, shouldn't be messed with.

"You're just jealous of his dashing good looks Mr. Bleach-Blond." Erasa retaliated at Sharpner.

"Hey now. Don't diss," Sharpner ran a hand through his glorious blond locks, "the do."

* * *

Videl entered the classroom to find her friend laughing amiably with Gohan. _At least they're having a good morning._ Videl spent the night trying to find out more about Saiyaman since Gohan was obviously out of the equation at this point. After a fruitless night's work, she was in a slightly bad mood.

"Good morning Miss Satan!" one of her classmates called to her as she walked by.

The glare Videl sent him was downright frosty. "Don't talk to me."

Okay… maybe more than slightly in a bad mood.

"Woah, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Erasa commented on Videl's dark glower.

"Can it, Erasa. I'm not in the mood today." Videl plopped herself down in her customary chair.

"Geez, what's got you so frosty this morning?" Sharpner studied the raven haired girl.

"Still no leads on who Saiya-dork really is." Videl shook her head. "I spent all last night trying to find clues. With as much as we've been seeing him the past week, someone has got to know who he really is."

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

Videl scowled at Erasa. "No. I haven't." She missed the look of relief passing over Gohan's face. "But rest assured, I won't stop searching until he's uncovered or I'm in my grave!"

"Ha! That's Videl for you!" Erasa giggled. "Stubborn till the day she dies!"

Videl grinned at her friend. "Better believe it!" _If only finding out about Saiyaman were as easy as getting Erasa to giggle. _"But you know, for a while I thought Gohan might have had something to do with Saiyaman."

"You're kidding!" Erasa gaped at her friend. Gohan stiffened behind her.

"Yeah, but who am I kidding? There's no way Gohan could be Saiyaman." Videl shook her head. Once again she missed seeing Gohan's jaw drop at her statement. "After seeing him try to punch that game yesterday, I figured that was a bum lead."

"Yeah… a bum lead." Erasa tried to hold in her laughter. "Completely. Totally. Waste of time!" She snickered into her hands gleefully.

"Oh yeah?" Videl glowered at her. "Something you know that I don't?"

"Nooooooo…." Erasa grinned in her friend's face cheekily. "I wouldn't keep something from Videl Satan, would I?"

"Hmmm. I should hope not." Videl finally noticed Gohan's expression. Panic? _That's odd. Why would he care if she was teasing him? _Gohan caught Videl's eyes and quickly looked down at his textbook. _Perhaps there is something here to investigate after all._ In truth, she really had started to ditch the idea of Gohan being anything more than a geek. _Guess I have some digging yet to do. Operation befriend and oust Gohan is still in effect! _"You'd better tell me about this later Erasa."

Erasa giggled. "Oh but I couldn't! I have no secrets to tell you!" She ignored the daggers Gohan was shooting at her with his eyes. "You'll have to find out on your own."

"Oh… I will. Trust me." Videl dropped the conversation and turned her attention to the front of the classroom. Their customary teacher had taken the podium.

"Attention students. I want to inform you, before we begin, that your normal third period teacher has eloped with your fourth period teacher and neither will be attending school today."

Sharpner made a face. "Gross."

"None the less," The man adjusted the large glasses on his face, "The other classes will go on as scheduled. The classes aforementioned will be free periods today and today only, so don't celebrate prematurely." But the class let out a cheer anyway. The teacher coughed politely while the teenagers settled. "Please remember that we'll be having an assembly at the end of the week to remember the anniversary of Cell's defeat." Videl let out a groan. She had been trying to forget about that stupid event. Good thing she had a week to steel herself mentally. "We'll be having activities and lessons focusing more on the events that brought us to this point in our glorious heritage all this week starting tomorrow. So be prepared for that."

_Great. _Gohan thought as he let his head fall to the desk. _This day is officially a terrible day._

Videl sent him a curious look. He shrugged and whispered back. "It's been a rough morning." She nodded her agreement and they both settled in for one very tedious lesson.

* * *

"GAH I'm so bored!" Erasa snapped shut her compact. "Whoever said free periods were fun?"

"Tell me about it." Sharpner said with a yawn. "Nothing but boring crap all day and then they give us another period of study hall. Why couldn't all that stuff about Satan day come sooner? That's at least enough to keep my interest."

Gohan looked up from the picture he was doodling. "Satan day?" he asked.

"Yeah. The anniversary of Cell's defeat. You know. Satan day."

"Right." _They gave him a holiday? That's ridiculous!_ Gohan turned back to the drawing he was working on. _That guy couldn't save anything apart from his own popularity._ His ki flared erratically at the thought. To pass the time, he began fiddling with his pen absent-mindedly. The sheer boredom of the day had set the poor teen saiyan's nerves to the limit. It didn't help that he was itching for movement, for a challenge. His empty rumbling stomach only added to the feeling.

"I'm surprised you've never heard of it Gohan." Videl looked over at him curiously. "We've had this thing for seven years straight."

_Seven years…_ "Well I live kinda far away. We don't keep up with the news so much I guess." The pen spinning in Gohan's hand flew faster and faster.

"That's a lame excuse if I ever heard one." Videl commented before looking back to her textbook.

His concentration lapsed. His ki spiked. The pen in his hand came to an abrupt stop some 3 meters above his head, embedded in the ceiling. Gohan's eyes widened. _Crap._

Videl looked up, startled by the thunk the pen made. "What was-"

"GUYS I'm so BORED." Erasa interrupted. "Let's play a game." (Erasa saves the day again!)

"Yeah! That's a good idea." Gohan added hurriedly, sending Erasa a look of thanks.

Videl looked from one teen to the other, scowling. "What game?"

Erasa tilted her head to the side. "You know… I'm not so sure. What do you think Sharpie?"

"I dunno." Sharpner shrugged. "Twenny questions only gets you so far."

Videl smirked suddenly. It was one of those 'I-have-an-idea-that-you-are-going-to-hate' grins. "How about we play truth or dare?"

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Erasa said. "You wanna play, Gohan?"

_Oh… nonono… Actually, you know what? Today is bad enough as it is. A game of truth or dare couldn't make it get any worse._ Gohan shrugged. "Sure. I'll play."

"Great!" The bubbly blond turned to her best friend. "Videl you're first. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you, to take a piece of chalk from up front. On your way back, you must tell everyone that it's for an investigation."

"Pfft." Videl scoffed and rose from her seat. "Too easy!" She pushed her way down to the board, snagged a piece of chalk and held it aloft. "This chalk is arrested on the following grounds; being white, killing a senator, and writing too much crap we don't understand!" She pocketed the poor writing tool. "We will be keeping it in custody until it reveals who it was working for!" She marched back to her seat triumphantly. Laughter and applause followed her.

Sharpner gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice job babe."

Videl flinched at the nickname before plopping down in her seat. "Thanks Sharpner," Videl grinned maliciously at him, "but it's my turn now. Truth or dare?"

Sharpner swallowed audibly. "Truth."

"Have you ever or do you currently bleach your hair?"

Sharpner broke out in a sweat. "Dare! I meant dare!" Sharpner rule #1: don't ask about the hair.

"Alrighty then." Videl glanced over at Gohan. "I dare you to let Gohan win at arm wrestling."

If Gohan had been drinking water right then, the spit take would have been GLORIOUS.

"Whaaaaat? That's a direct affront to my manhood." Sharpner whined.

"No take backs."

"Maaaan. At least pick someone who'd put up a fight." Sharpner got up from his seat to stand directly in front of Gohan's desk. He ignored Erasa's hearty giggling and rolled up his sleeve. "C'mon Brains. Let's get this over with." His bicep bulged as he set his arm on the desk.

If you listened closely in that moment, boys and girls, you could hear Gohan's teeth grinding together. Gohan slowly lifted his arm and placed it alongside Sharpner's. Erasa hopped up and grabbed their clasped hands.

"Okay guys, relax. We know Sharpner is going to let Gohan win, but let's treat this as a real match huh? Give 'em a show!" Erasa said, motioning to the small crowd of students around them. They'd been just as bored as the four teens had been and decided to watch the spectacle.

"Oh sure! I'm just about to purposefully lose to the weakest guy in the school." Sharpner whined some more. "Everybody come watch."

Gohan's dark eyes snapped with veiled anger. _Sharpner… you are really..._ He kept his mouth shut, however, and waited patiently for Erasa to give the okay.

Erasa giggled. "You might be surprised Sharpie!" Suddenly she released their hands. "Go!"

Gohan knew that Sharpner didn't stand a chance. Then again, he didn't want to give himself away so fast. Videl was watching, after all. So naturally, what happened next was mighty strange in the eyes of the onlookers.

Both teens sat there, unmoving.

Videl's brow furrowed. "What the heck?"

Sharpner had decided to let Gohan win by a close margin. Better let Gohan sweat that he wasn't going to carry through with the dare. Snickering to himself, the blond applied just the slightest pressure to Gohan's arm.

Nothing.

_What the…?_ Sharpner's face got all screwed up with effort. Why didn't Gohan move? The veins in his arm began to bulge and strain. Sweat appeared on his forehead.

Gohan didn't budge.

Sharpner gripped the side of the desk with his other arm and threw his weight into play. His face began turning red. He willed the arm he was straining against to move.

Still, Gohan didn't budge.

After a moment or two more of comedic grunting on Sharpner's part, Gohan slowly put Sharpner's arm to the desktop. The student audience applauded quietly, but wasn't very impressed. "Sharpner really got into it didn't he?" one student commented. "Yeah," said another, "but the nerd wasn't buying a lick of it." "Pity. Could've been a cool show."

Gohan released the red-faced blond's hand and went back to staring out the window. Sharpner stumbled back from Gohan.

"Wha... What in the…"

"I told you Sharpner. You'd be surprised!" Erasa giggled. Her eyes filled up with stars looking at Gohan.

Videl looked at her suspiciously, but shook it off."But you really played it up there Sharpner." Videl said. "Gohan shoulda matched your expression. Too bad he was a stick in the mud about it."

"I'm right over here you know." Gohan murmured.

Sharpner scowled at Gohan as he moved back to his seat. He didn't know what kind of trick Gohan just pulled, but he wasn't falling for it. The teen looked down at his hand and then back up at Gohan. It was a trick… right?

Gohan watched him, eyes flashing. _I'll take you on anytime Sharpner._ The teen saiyan caught a hold of himself. _Geez… I shouldn't do that. I'm liable to hurt him if I'm not careful. _

"Okay! It's your turn Sharpie!" Erasa chattered.

Sharpner, caught off guard, asked Erasa next. "Alright then. Erasa, truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

"Do you go commando?"

Videl made a face. "Sharpner! Terrible question!"

"First off, rude. Second, I never go commando." Erasa did a z snap in Sharpner's face. She ignored his sigh of disappointment. "Alright Gohan! Truth or dare?"

Gohan didn't hesitate. "Dare."

"Strip."

Cue spit take from Videl. "WHAT?!" Both teens shouted.

Erasa looked from one to the other. "You heard me. Take off your shirt and swing it above your head. Kinda like those cowboys do at rodeos."

"He can't do that!" Videl shouted, blushing. "That's indecent!"

"Yeah! I can't just strip my shirt off willy-nilly!" Gohan protested, also blushing. _Erasaaaaaa! What are you trying to do to me?!_

"I want to see if you have a rockin' hot bod is all."

Videl slapped a hand to her forehead. "Erasa…"

"I'm not taking it back."

Gohan sighed. "Fine. Truth then."

"Are you secretly ripped?"

"Uuuughghghgh." Gohan threw his hands in the air. "Yes! I am secretly super strong and have long flowing chest hair." (don't google that)

Videl laughed outright. "No wonder you don't want to take off your shirt! Long flowing chest hair… HA!" She looked over at Erasa. "Please tell me you don't believe that!"

"Sure I do! Maybe not the chest hair part, but I betcha he's a total hunk!" Gohan blushed at that, but Erasa continued. "Try looking beyond the surface for once!"

"I do that all the time. It's my job, remember? And anyway, it's so obvious that he's lying. Right Sharpner?"

"Uh, yeah." The muscle-bound blond looked down at his hand, doubt coloring his voice slightly. "Lying."

* * *

Poor baby. Everybody gang up on the Gohan.

There was more, but I felt bad and decided to give Gohan a break. Next chappy will continue the really-bad-no-good-terrible-day.  
Did anyone call the whole 'Erasa tries to get Gohan to strip' deal?  
If you did, you win a cookie. *omnomnom*

Thanks to all those who sent in congratulations! I really appreciate it! :D  
Read and Review for the lovely continuation.


	9. A Rough Day for Secrets (Part Two!)

We're playing the feud!  
-weeps brokenly-

DISCLAIMER: Just come out and say it. You don't own Dragonball Z. Say it with me, "I don't own Dragonball Z". The sooner you accept that, the better your life will be.

Ch 9: A Rough Day for Secrets (Part Two!)

* * *

Sharpner waited outside the men's shower in the locker room. Gym had followed directly after the two free periods. It was the last class of the day for this particular day of the week. Gym was boring though. The teacher had everyone jogging around the track and doing stamina exercises in preparation for the week of martial arts they were to learn as a prep for Satan day.

The blond teen watched as most of his classmates exited the locker room. Not a whole lot of students took advantage of the school showers, but those who got exceptionally sweaty usually got it over with as fast as they could. Today, someone decided to wait a bit before showering. Sharpner glanced inside.

Sure enough, there stood Gohan, fully clothed in his long, baggy gym attire, glancing about nervously. The shy nerd never took a shower after gym. Why did he decide to change that habit today? In any case, it was too good an opportunity to pass up! Sharpner grinned. Time to tease the nerd.

It was too steamy to see much, but soon Sharpner heard water run. Swiftly, he darted in and snagged Gohan's clothes. Holding his prize triumphantly, he dashed out into the main locker room. The few guys left in the locker room laughed.

"You are my witnesses!" Sharpner said to them, grinning widely. "Brains is gonna come out here in nothing but a towel. Then, I'm gonna lead him on a merry chase around the school to get his stuff back."

"Hard core!" One burly jock high-fived Sharpner. He motioned to his buddies behind him. "We'll keep a lookout for ya, but we need to get our stuff together for practice after school."

"Cool." Sharpner nodded. He pulled out a cell phone. "I'll snag some pictures for you then."

"Awesome! See ya!" The boys left the blond to wait by himself in the slightly steamy locker room.

He leaned up against the lockers to wait, contemplating his newest act of hazing. It's not like he hated the kid, but Gohan was just way too fun to tease. That and even though Brains was growing on him, he still couldn't shake the fact that Videl was unnaturally interested in the guy. It was totally time to step up the manly teasing. Sharpner listened as the water shut off and footsteps echoed in the quiet. A moment later he heard a gasp. A crunching noise came from the shower room, followed by an almost inhuman roar.

"SHARPNERRR!"

There is an instinct buried deep within the psyche of humans. It is commonly referred to the 'fight or flight' reaction. For the briefest of moments, Sharpner was ready to run like hell away from the source of that sound. Who knew that one voice could carry such raw energy! Like some primordial man out of time was shouting his name. He shook himself and reminded his heart to keep beating normally. Gohan was no beast to be running from. Heck the nerd could barely keep up with Erasa in PE! Though how the kid was able to make his voice sound so threatening…

"You need me for something?" Sharpner called loudly. He smirked at the expression he was sure was on Gohan's face.

"This isn't funny Sharpner." Gohan's voice was dangerously low. "Give me back my clothes!"

"Why don't you come and get them, nerd?" Sharpner relished the anger he heard in the teen saiyan's voice. He waited for the poor boy to round the corner with bated breath.

It should be noted that Sharpner expected to see Gohan the nerd. Blushing, ashamed, weak little towel clad Gohan the nerd. What came around the corner was definitely NOT Gohan the nerd!

The person who appeared around the corner was tall and ridiculously well-built. A towel hung low around super defined abdominal muscles. Muscles without any trace of fat glistened slightly with moisture under the florescent light. Jet black hair hung down in spikes over eyes that burned with anger. Those eyes, so deep, penetrated through Shaprner's petty thoughts of revenge.

Sharpner felt his jaw drop. "Guh… Gohan?"

Gohan strode up to the shell-shocked blonde. Staring him dead in the eye, he spoke. "Give. My clothes. Back."

All resistance within Sharpner failed. He raised his arm slowly and handed Gohan his garments.

Gohan nodded. "Thank you." He said before turning back to the showers to change.

Sharpner watched Gohan's back, which was equally toned and defined, retreat through the steam. Slowly he sunk down the lockers to rest on the floor. He held his head in his hands.

"No way."

Sharpner's brain explosion was interrupted by a knock on the door to the men's locker room.

"Sharpner? Gohan?" Erasa's high-pitched voice carried through the door easily. "The teacher sent me to check on you. Is everything alright in there?"

Sharpner silently opened the door and walked past Erasa to slump against the far wall.

"Sharpie?" Erasa bent down to look him in the eye. "You okay?"

The boy looked past her sightlessly. "No way." He repeated in a state of shock.

Erasa broke into a grin. "No way?"

Sharpner looked back at Erasa, surprised. Something clicked in his mind. "No way!" he said again.

"NO way?!"

"No way!"

Erasa bounced up and down. "No way!"

Sharpner buried his head in his hands. "No waaaaaaaaaaay!"

"So… are you guys going to stand there and do this all day?" Sharpner and Erasa looked up to see Gohan, normal clothed Gohan, standing next to them. His expression wasn't as stormy as it had been earlier, but he didn't look pleased.

"Gohan!" Sharpner scrambled to his feet. "I'm sorry man! I didn't mean to…"

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the flailing teen. "Didn't mean to pick on the weak little nerd, or didn't mean to accidentally find out how much I can bench-press?"

Sharpner's face turned beet red in shame. He looked away from Gohan. "When you put it that way…" He sighed. "I've been a misjudging jerk huh?"

"The biggest jerk." Erasa said. "A total Jerky Jerkface. Super Jerkerson Mcjerksalot."

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the support."

"It's, like, what I'm here for."

Gohan shook his head. "Whatever. Just forget it." He turned and started walking away. He stopped just as a hand descended on his shoulder.

"I mean it. I've been horrible to you for no good reason." Sharpner didn't even try spinning him around. Instead, he walked in front of Gohan and spread his arms wide. "I only judged you based on what I saw."

"And you didn't bother to look any deeper. I get it." Gohan pushed him gently aside and started walking to class. "Just drop it."

Sharpner watched him leave. He ran a hand through his blond hair. "Damn." He muttered before looking to Erasa. "I really botched that huh?"

"Totally botched it."

Sharpner frowned. "I guess he hates me now huh?"

"Nah." Erasa started after Gohan. "I don't think Gohan hates anyone. He is just tired of putting up with preconceived crap."

Sharpner followed her, looking at her strangely. "You are smarter than you seem Erasa."

She giggled. "So I've heard."

* * *

Gohan sat up on the roof alone, thinking. Lunch had come after gym class, but since he had no lunch to eat, he sat on the roof of the school to contemplate things. His head rested in his hands. His mind, however, spun endlessly in circles.

_Kami above. How did I get into this mess? First that whole thing with mom… and then Erasa... and that thing with Sharpner! _Gohan didn't usually take showers at school. He never worked up a sweat so he felt no need to take one. But since he missed on this morning, he figured it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Poor siayan had no idea what his classmate had planned. _That guy… How much of a jerk could you be?! Seriously! I've put up with his shenanigans before, but that wasn't funny at all! _Gohan fumed slightly. _I hate bullies like that._

Gohan allowed himself to lean back against the low wall that encircled the rooftop, trying to calm down. Keep the unstable ki under control and all that. Heck he even smashed a hole in the wall of the shower room earlier! Luckily it hadn't been Sharpner's head that received that blow. Better try to keep it low-key.

His thoughts moved to more immediate consequences of people discovering more about him. _Just when school was getting better, things take a turn for the worst._ _Soon everybody is will know about me and then what? Videl will oust me as Saiyaman before I know it! I hate to think what that would mean for us. Publicity, paparazzi, scientific observations… worse, mom will kill me! She'll kill me horribly, bring me back with the dragonballs, kill me again, hunt me down and kill me in the afterworld. _Gohan let out a deep soul shuddering sigh. _I know I said that I didn't care what people thought, but way easier said than done. Everyone is going to think of me as a freak! School is going to be completely unbearable after this._ He turned his eyes to the sky, ignoring the rumbles in his stomach. _So much for staying under the radar at school. _

His thoughts stopped cold as he sensed an all too familiar presence on the roof. He turned his head to see a familiar blue-eyed gaze.

"Hey Gohan." Videl walked casually over to him, hands behind her back. "Finished with lunch already?"

"Not really. Actually I…" a strong grumble from deep in his gut interrupted Gohan, "… I forgot to pack a lunch today. I don't have my wallet on me either, so I guess I'm going without today."

Videl nodded. "Erasa said that you had a tough morning." She pulled out two sack lunches from behind her. "Here." She said as she passed one to Gohan.

Gohan slowly took the bag from her, eyes wide. He opened the sack and peered into its depths. An apple, orange, turkey sandwich, bag of chips, and a coke greeted him. His face broke into a genuine smile, as bright as the sun and as wide as the sky. "Thank you Videl!" He exclaimed.

Videl's heart thudded. "Don't mention it." She said, smiling. She plopped herself down next to Gohan and opened her own sack lunch. "It was Erasa's idea anyway."

"I'll have to give her my thanks later." Gohan dug into the sack lunch with gusto. "I really needed this!"

"So, had a rough morning huh?" Videl chewed her apple thoughtfully. "What happened to make you so off your game?"

"Ah." Gohan swallowed a slice of orange. "F-family problems."

"Oh." Videl nodded sympathetically. "Been there."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Videl looked up from her lunch. "I know it's hard to believe. The famous Videl Satan, daughter of the great Hercule Satan, having family issues."

"Not that hard to believe. Everybody has problems." Gohan polished off his apple in three bites. "What makes a person is how they choose to deal with those problems."

"Huh." Videl smiled lightly. "You're a pretty deep guy Gohan." She joked.

Gohan shrugged. "Don't judge a book by its cover." He said before devouring the sandwich in record time. "But no. That was something my dad told me."

"Your dad? He sounds like he's one heckuva guy."

Gohan winced. "Yeah."

"Makes me wonder why you'd have family problems."

"Ah… well my mom is a bit," Gohan searched for a good word, "controlling."

Videl chuckled. "Understood." She lifted her coke to her lips. "My dad is the same way."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah." She took a drink. "It's like he's in a love/hate relationship with my police work. He loves the publicity, but hates the danger to me." Videl shrugged. "But I guess that's the way it is with all parents."

"There's the understatement of the century."

"Hah. Yeah."

Gohan looked sidelong at Videl. _That was unexpected. No questions delving into my family? No scathing remarks about nerds? _Gohan smiled to himself. _This is… kind of nice._

* * *

Videl watched as Gohan smiled gently again. _He's got a nice smile._ Videl shook her head. _Stupid brain! There is a reason that I am spending time with him! Gotta make this count!_ She spoke aloud. "You know Gohan, you're not such a bad guy after all."

"Oh." Gohan looked surprised. "Thanks Videl." He smiled gently. "You're not so bad yourself."

Videl felt her face heat up. _What's with that reaction? Stay focused!_ "Thanks." She averted her clear blue eyes from his deep dark ones. "Erasa told me about yesterday by the way."

Gohan stiffened. "She… She did?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry you felt that we were just dragging you with us on a pity date." Videl spoke truthfully. "It was kind of a jerk move for us to do to you."

"Oh." Gohan relaxed. "It's alright."

Videl raised an eyebrow. _There _is_ something she knows about Gohan! Something he doesn't want me to know! OOOOOooooh that Erasa! She'd better tell me if she knows what's good for her!_

"Say Gohan," Videl spoke suddenly, "are you doing anything later? We're hanging at the park for a while if you wanna join."

Gohan looked at her curiously. "Well, I promised I'd go play with my little brother, but I am thinking that over." He looked down at the now empty paper sack in his lap. "I'm not sure I'm ready to go home yet."

Videl felt a pang of sympathy for the guy. How many times had she been in his position? Not wanting to go home and face her father's idiocy?

She scooted closer to pat him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it so much. Come do something with us today after school. It'll help take your mind off things. Besides, I'm sure talking with your mom will clear the air, right?"

He sighed. "I hope so." He looked at her with a wistful expression on his face. "I'll think about it. Thanks for the invite."

She smiled up at him comfortingly. "No sweat."

The two teens sat like that for a moment before realizing how close they were. Their faces turned red alarmingly fast and they moved apart quickly. Videl looked at the blushing teen across from her. She formed a fist, reached out and bopped him on the arm. "No wise cracks, ya hear?"

He laughed. It was a beautiful sound, lighthearted and free. A golden laugh. Videl felt her heart begin to race for the second time that day, watching him throw his head back and carelessly laugh like that. _What is wrong with me today?!_

"Don't worry about that." Gohan said after he calmed down a bit. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Videl got up from her spot on the roof. "C'mon. Lunch is almost over."

Gohan nodded. "I'm … going to stay up here a minute." The restlessness he felt inside was expanding. He needed to let off some steam before going back to mind-numbing class lectures. "See you later."

"Alright. See ya." Videl headed down to class, fighting off the guilty feeling that washed over her. _Keep your focus Videl. If you wimp out on this, you'll never find out what that guy is hiding._

Videl paused in her descent from the roof. She turned and glanced behind her._ Gohan sure is a weird one, but a good one. _She allowed a small smile, pushing the guilt away with a happy thought. _Good thing Erasa suggested the lunch thing. It seemed like he really needed cheering up. _The raven haired girl glanced down the hallway and grinned maliciously as she saw her two blond friends chatting. _Speak of the devil! Time to ask some questions!_

She walked up on the two blonds, catching the tail end of their conversation.

"… me just how jacked he was." Erasa was saying.

"Why, _hello_ Erasa!"

Erasa looked at Videl, startled. "Oh hey Videl."

"It's so _good_ to see my _bestest friend_ in the whole world!" Videl smiled sweetly.

Erasa looked from Videl to Sharpner and back to Videl. "Uh…"

"My _best _most _honest _friend in the whole wide world who would absolutely_ never_ keep secrets from me!" Videl gushed, walking closer to the pair of blonds.

Erasa gulped. "G-great to see you too Videl." She pulled at Sharpner. "I guess we'd better get to class huh?"

"Uh… yeah!" Sharpner smiled nervously. "Time to get to class!"

_Since when does Sharpner ever want to go to class early? Wait a second… Does he…?! _"Oh but hold on a second guys!" Videl put a restraining hand on Erasa's shoulder. "I want to tell you guys more about how you're both such open, honest, wonderful…"

"NO! NOT THIS TIME!" Sharpner's resolve broke as he bolted for the classroom. "I'm NOT getting sucker-punched again! YOU DO IT ERASA!"

"Sharpner you JERK!" Erasa hollered after him. "Don't leave meeeeeee!"

Videl looked triumphantly into the blond girl's large, frightened blue eyes. Erasa swallowed nervously.

"Spill it."

* * *

"I don't believe you."

"But it's _true_!" Erasa protested. "_Sharpner_ believes me too!"

"Ahuh sure."

"Why would I lie to you? I even promised I'd keep it a secret!" Erasa's pout changed to a look of horror. "Ahhh! I told you! No one is supposed to know that I know he's totally ripped! Gohan is going to kill me!"

"No he won't. I think you made all that stuff up just so I'd like him better." Videl scowled. "That's not very nice Erasa. You went this far, even lying to me, just to get me to like him. And you even thought Sharpner would buy into it?"

"Shaprner believes me! He saw it too!" Erasa sighed. "At least I don't have to worry about what Gohan would say. You obviously don't believe your best friend since elementary."

"Aww, don't be like that Erasa." Videl's frown softened. "Just because I don't believe you doesn't mean I'm not your best friend anymore."

"Well, you oughta believe me! I'm telling the truth!" Erasa threw her arms up in a huff. "Go to the arcade and take a look for yourself ya big meanie! No wonder Gohan is so careful around you! Always too skeptical for your own good! You are just too…. GEEZ!" Erasa stormed away in a huff.

Videl watched her leave, shocked. Did Erasa, bubbly, ditzy, best friend for the ages Erasa, just tell her off? _She couldn't be telling the truth… could she?_ The teen crime fighter walked slowly to class. _She really believes that Gohan is… _Videl shook her head. _What is going on here?_

She took her seat next to Sharpner and Erasa hesitantly. She looked back and forth between the two, but didn't say anything. Sharpner looked too nervous for his own good. Erasa looked positively steamed.

They sat in silence for a while.

"…"

"…"

"… I'm sorry, alright?"

Erasa looked over to her best friend. Her eyes softened at the embarrassed genuineness on Videl's face. "I forgive you. I know I was the same way."

On the other side of Videl, Sharpner let out a breath of relief. "Thank kami. I thought for sure I was gonna get punched again."

Videl whacked him on the shoulder. "There. Happy now?"

Sharpner rubbed his sore shoulder. "Maaaaan…" The blond quickly lowered his gaze to his textbook as he noticed Gohan enter the classroom.

Videl quirked up an eyebrow. "Something happen between you and Gohan?"

Sharpner stiffened. "N… no."

"They had a falling out earlier." Erasa supplied. "It's been a little tense since then."

"Ah." Videl nodded sagely. "You'd better work it out then. Otherwise there'll be no one to help you with your math homework."

Sharpner's face fell. Not so much because of the homework problem, but because he was beginning to realize how much a simple stereotype had crippled any sort of friendship he might have had with Gohan. The kid was indeed a nerd, but there was so much more to him. Sharpner looked at Videl and felt utterly guilty. She was oblivious, like he had been.

The blond teen looked down at his notebook as the teacher entered the classroom. Quickly, before anyone could see what he was doing, he scribbled down a note. He reached behind Videl and passed it to Erasa. Curiously, Erasa took the note, read it, and passed it to Gohan.

The dark-eyed boy read the note. Sharpner held his breath, watching the wheels turn in Gohan's eyes. He watched as Gohan took out a pen and wrote a reply. Erasa took the note and passed it back to Sharpner, grinning. The blond teen flipped the note open and read quickly.

_I really am sorry Gohan. Can we talk later?_

_Yeah Sharpner. We can talk._

Sharpner looked over at Gohan. The boy met his gaze and nodded. Sharpner smiled and returned his attention to the teacher. After all, knowledge opens up a world of possibilities.

* * *

Gohan walked up to the front door of Capsule Corp. on a mission. School had ended and with it came the problem of going home. The teen saiyan wasn't too keen on hanging out with Videl and the gang until he solved the problem of going home. Chilling out with two people who knew a little of who he really was along with the girl who wanted to out all his secrets may prove a little difficult in his current state. He'd need all of his concentration for that. Besides, Gohan still felt much too unsettled to go back and face his mother. Hopefully, Bulma would agree to let him spend the night. Maybe blow off some steam with Vegeta, play with Trunks... That sort of thing.

But before he could knock on the door, it opened. A lavender blur threw itself at Gohan and latched itself around his neck.

"Hey Trunks!"

"Gohan!" Trunks cried happily. "Where ya been!"

"It's good to see you too kid." Gohan ruffled the lavender hair fondly. "What's been going on?"

"Not much." Trunks said as Gohan walked them inside. "I got a new game that's really fun."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! You should totally see it." Trunks looked over at Gohan questioningly. "Are you gonna stick around this time?"

Gohan shrugged. "That's what I wanted to talk to your mom about."

"Alright!" Trunks let out a whoop and squirmed out of Gohan's arms. "So you're gonna stay and play? There's no way mom's gonna say no to you Gohan!"

"Is that so?" Gohan chuckled at the seven-year-old. "Where is your mom? I'll go ask her if I can spend the night here."

"I think she's up in her room." Trunks pointed up the stairs. "It's up the stairs to the left." The boy turned and ran to the living room. "Let me know what she says!"

"Thanks." Gohan meandered up to the first floor of the residence. He reached the second door on the left and was about to knock when he heard some… suspicious noises.

"Oh Kami!"

Gohan froze. His eyes widened comically as he heard grunting sounds from behind the door. He backed away slowly.

"Harder Vegeta…. HARDER!"

Moans and panting followed the grunting. A steady thumping noise reached his ears.

"Oh Yes… yesyesYES!"

Gohan, face as white as a sheet, ran for his life. On some level, what they were doing registered in his mind, but he rejected it with every fiber of his sanity. Some things you can never un-see. Even in your head.

Trunks looked up in surprise as Gohan barged in suddenly. "Did you find mom?" He took in Gohan's face and frowned in sympathy. "I see you found dad too.

Gohan nodded shakily. "How'd you know?"

"This happens a lot."

"Oh." _Kami above! He has to deal with this all the time? _"Do you uh…" Gohan swallowed nervously. "…know what they're… doing in there?"

Trunks shrugged. "Dad said they were doing a kind of training that only married people do." He looked at Gohan mischievously. "Do you know what they were doing Gohan?"

Gohan turned bright red. He looked at his watch suddenly. "OH LOOK AT THAT! There's a heist at the bank! They're going to need me! I'll come back later!" Gohan ran for his life… again.

Trunks snickered to himself as he watched Gohan take off. He knew exactly what his parents were doing. He'd accidentally caught them a few times. (poor, poor Trunks) The boy felt bad for Gohan, but he just couldn't pass up the chance to tease him. That reaction was priceless!

* * *

Gohan flew over Satan city, trying to fight down a fearsome blush. _Of course I knew what they were doing! I'm not COMPLETELY naïve! _The blush reached down his neck and across his chest. His helmet didn't help cool him off much to say the least. Halting mid-air, Gohan reached up and pulled the helmet off his head. A fresh breeze blew cool air on his steaming cheeks.

"Ahhh. Much better." He tucked the helmet under his arm. "Better go super though. I don't want anyone to recognize me so easily." In a flash his hair went gold and his eyes blue. Gohan floated through the air easily, looping about and enjoying the feel of the wind. Nothing beats flying. Except maybe lunch.

Gohan's thoughts drifted back to lunchtime. _Videl was really nice today. I wonder… _He shook his head. _Nah. There aren't any ulterior motives with her anymore. She's all but given up on me. Heck, she said it herself. There was no way I could be Saiyaman. _His ki rose a little with his annoyance. _She was so quick to write it off too! But then again, I haven't exactly been forthcoming about it._ Gohan did a few flips to release the excess energy. _But Erasa knows I'm no wimp. Heck even Sharpner... _The careless flying about ground to a halt. _Oh no! I forgot to talk to Sharpner even thought I told him we would! _Gohan felt a sudden guilt weigh upon his chest. It lifted as soon as he remembered Videl telling him that they were going to the park to hang out.

He zoomed straight to the park, which so happened to be right beside Satan city national bank. (bad city planning = great storytelling) Landing in some bushes, the superhero flicked the button on his watch and powered down. Not feeling the normal tingle, Gohan looked down in surprise at his body.

Nothing had happened. His new saiyasuit stayed firmly on his body.

"Aw no! How could it be broken _again?_!" He hit the button again. This time, the clothing flickered before returning to his body. "Maaaaaan. I'll have to ask Bulma to fix it for me." He sighed, grabbing his helmet. "Better put this thing back on again." He shoved it on his head.

Suddenly, he was dressed in his normal clothes.

"What the…" He scratched his head. _It… worked. Why did it work just then?_ Gohan glanced around again to see if anyone was nearby. Finding himself still alone, he pressed the button again. The saiyasuit covered his body. Just like it was supposed to.

The saiyan teen reached up and took off the helmet. He set it on the ground and hit the button on his watch.

Nothing.

"Huh." Gohan muttered, placing one hand on each hip. "It doesn't work without the full costume." He raised a hand to his chin. _How strange. I wonder Bulma can modifiy it. I'd hate to think what would happen if it got burnt in some way and I wouldn't be able to change back without_ _stripping._ A blush cam back to his cheeks as he remembered the last time he stripped to help out as the gold fighter. _Never again._

He bent down to pick up the helmet when the blare of sirens reached his ears. He jerked up suddenly. _The Bank!_ Without a second thought, he dashed through the bushes to survey the scene in front of him.

Several cop cars had pulled up to the front of the building and even more were pulling up behind them. On the front steps of the bank were at least fifteen masked men holding automatic weapons. One of them fired into the crowd of policemen. Several cops were flung to the ground, holding themselves tightly where a bullet had hit them.

"Oh no!" Gohan started towards the bank. "I've got to do something!" He was about halfway there when he stopped dead. "FRACK! My helmet!" He spun around and jumped back into the bushes. Snagging his helmet, Gohan sped to the scene.

* * *

Videl crouched behind a cop car and threw her arms over her head. This was the second time this bank had been held up this month! And it was another intense firefight. Figures this happens on the day she decides to go out with friends. Her eyes flitted to the policemen who had already been hit by bullets. "Shit." She muttered. It was always hard to watch when someone else was injured in a fight.

"Miss Videl!" Videl turned around to see Saiyaman descend from the air.

She smirked. "For once I'm glad to see you here!"

He nodded, voice muffled from beneath his helmet. "This one seems way too intense for the police."

"You figure that out on your own?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice. "And here I thought you couldn't see anything through that tin can on your head." She gestured to the crooks holding up the bank. "They're a bit wiser this time around. There's not another way for me to get in. They have all the exits covered." She glanced over the hood of the car. "They don't have any hostages, but they are much more heavily armed." She gestured to another cop car. "We have the place surrounded, but it's doing us no good. Bullets have been flying non-stop around here. Heck, Chief told me that we already have a civilian casualty!"

Saiyaman's muscles tensed. "We've got to clear the area." His voice carried a deep tone of anger. Videl looked at him, surprised. _Since when is Saiyaman so serious?_

The female crime fighter's brows knit together. "Yeah. We've got to get all civilians out of here."

Saiyaman nodded. "Easier said than done. However," he gestured at the bank in front of them, "the police can hold the fort here while we work. We've got them surrounded. No one is going anywhere."

"Good point." _We need to get the people out of here. But, I can't sweep the city surrounding the park and the park myself! Damn… I can't believe this!_ Videl straightened slightly and offered her hand. "I hate to admit it, but I need your help on this one Saiyaman."

He looked surprised, but took her hand and shook it with a firm grip. "Let's work together, Miss Videl!"

She pointed behind him and spoke above the gunfire. "You start on that side and I'll work this one. We'll meet up and sweep the park together." Without acknowledging his agreement, she darted off to the people who gathered to watch the spectacle.

After a few minutes, Videl had managed to clear away those who were watching the scene from the city side. Once Videl Satan tells you to clear out, you clear out!

The raven haired teen dashed back around to the park to begin sweeping for civilians. She wasn't at all surprised to see Saiyaman already there, hollering at groups of joggers and picnickers. Videl joined him and together they worked to get people out of the area.

It didn't take long at all. The two of them worked together so well that it was almost frightening. In fact, they had almost finished the sweep when they came across a little girl crying at a swing-set near edge of the park.

Videl was a little hyped up on adrenaline. "Where's your parents?" She asked brusquely.

The little girl cried harder.

"No! I mean, don't cry! It's okay." Videl soothed. "It's okay. I just need to find your parents. Do you know where they are?"

The little girl shook her teary face and cried harder.

"Oh boy…" Videl moved closer to the girl, but she just backed away. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped slightly. "Let me." Saiyaman said gently. Videl gulped and nodded, moving aside to let Saiyaman talk to the girl. She'd been so focused that she nearly forgot he was there!

"Hello there." Saiyaman crouched down to the girl's level. "What's your name?"

The little girl looked at him with wide, teary eyes.

"Oh! I must look a little weird with this helmet on huh?" Saiyaman reached up and flipped open his visor. "Is that better?"

Videl's eyes widened as the little girl calmed down a bit and nodded. Videl craned her neck around to try to catch a peek. _His visor opens! If I could just see his eyes!_ The little girl looked at her worriedly and Videl backed off a little. _Maybe… not a good time._

Saiyaman noticed the little girl's reaction and gestured to Videl. "Don't worry little one. She's a good guy!" Videl could hear the smile in his voice. "She's Videl Satan. A superhero crime fighter extrodinaire!" The little girl's eyes widened as he continued. "And she won't hurt you. She's just worried because bad guys are coming and we need to get everyone out of here. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded again. Saiyaman's voice, not the ridiculously low stage voice he used, was light. "That's great! I'm uh… I'm Saiyaman. What's your name?"

"… Treesa." A small, timid voice answered him.

"Well Treesa, would you like to come with us? We'll help find your parents okay?" He offered his hand to her. She reached out slowly and took it. Treesa walked forward shyly as he flipped his visor down. Saiyaman turned to Videl and said, "Miss Videl, I'd like you to meet my friend Treesa."

Videl knelt down and held her arms out to the girl. "I'm sorry I scared you. Forgive me?"

Treesa nodded and gave Videl a hug. Videl smiled and looked up, amazed at Saiyaman. "Thanks." She said.

"No prob-" He was interrupted by the squeal of tires and the sound of gunfire. "Get down!" Saiyaman shouted, moving himself in front of the girls.

Around the corner, in plain view of the trio, came a large van. Out of the back of the vehicle stood a man brandishing a bazooka. He spotted Videl with the child and took aim, smirking maliciously. Without hesitation, he fired.

Time slowed. Videl watched from her crouched position as the explosive made its way closer to them. Her view was obscured as a figure darted in its path.

"Saiyaman! Don't…"

The explosion tossed Videl flat. She had enough sense to cover the girl with her body to protect her from the blast. As soon as the smoke cleared, Videl looked up.

Saiyaman was gone.

Videl felt panic settle in. _No… He can't be…_ She looked down to the girl in her arms. Poor Treesa was crying piteously. _No time to worry about him. I have to find Treesa's parents!_ She hurried off, praying to Kami that Saiyaman was alright.

* * *

"Where is it?! Where is it?!" Gohan searched frantically. The helmet was nowhere to be seen. In the heat of the moment, Gohan had let the explosion wash over him, reveling in the feel of it. He knew that this mere explosive could do nothing to him. The urge to test himelf against it won out against his common sense and he let it hit him head on. But, unfortunately, his helmet was not suited for explosions. It tore clean off his head. He had dashed into the bushes after it, but this wasn't the time for stupid costume malfunctions!

Squealing tires sounded out behind him, followed by shouts of fear and pain. He spun around. _Videl! _Gohan's search became more frantic. After a moment he let out a growl of frustration and powered up to super saiyan. "To hell with it!" He pulled of his armor and kicked off his boots. Shrugging out of his shirt, Gohan threw down his wristbands and armband. Better to help as the gold fighter than waste time looking for a stupid helmet!

Gohan zoomed back to the bank to find it in worse condition than he'd left it. The van that had shot at him cleared a path to the bank. Burly criminals were loading it up with bags of money as fast as they could move, ignoring the cops for the moment. However, the police were in no shape to fight back. They had been hit from behind and were still reeling from the shock.

Gohan grit his teeth as he saw Videl dash toward the van. _She doesn't know when to stop does she!? And where's Treesa!? _Gohan's ki flared higher as he fazed faster into fray, taking out two goons in the process. _I swear, if anyone hurts ONE HAIR on that kid's head…_ His face darkened and he took out another machine gun wielding moron. A gust of wind whipped up the dust around his feet from the ki that spiked erratically at the thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Videl take out the men loading the truck with ease. _No surprise there. She's always good at this sort of thing._ Gohan dodged a fist and 'gently' knocked another crook out cold. _In fact, besides my mom, she's the only other girl I know who fights so well. _He fazed in front of a few cops and caught bullets out of midair, sending them back to destroy the very guns that fired them. Not a bad tactic, though it might hurt their hands a bit. Gohan watched as Videl took out the crooks that held the very guns he just destroyed._. Probably just needs a little more training is all._ She launched herself into the air and gave a guy one heckuva roundhouse kick that sent him flying.

Landing with practiced ease, Videl finally noticed Gohan's presence. Her eyes widened comically upon recognition and her jaw dropped. Clear blue eyes raked up and down his body as he stood there. The saiyan teen felt a blush build on his face at her scrutiny. He couldn't help that he had to be shirtless when he was the gold fighter. However, this was no time for awkward feelings! Gohan fazed behind her and took out another criminal. He turned to see her wide blue eyes not 3 inches from his face.

"You! How did you…"

Gohan held up a hand, silencing her questions. He gestured to the cops behind her. Videl spun around and noticed the mess of cops and robbers. She took one last glance at Gohan before dashing down to help the injured. Gohan himself turned into the bank to clean up the rest of the bad guys. He was still a bit riled up and figured knocking a few goons around would help, no matter how weak they were.

Minutes later, after depositing the criminals on the front steps, he turned to see how things were shaping up. The police had called in an ambulance and Videl could be seen talking to the paramedics. Gohan used this opportunity to confront her about Treesa. How he was going to ask her would prove a little difficult. Gold Fighter was supposed to be the strong silent type.

Undeterred, he walked over to Videl and cleared his throat. She looked up and smiled.

"Hey!" Videl nodded to the paramedic and walked over to Gohan. "I'm glad to see you!"

Gohan raised his eyebrows. _Really?_

Videl nodded. "We were really in trouble back there. A lot of people got hurt this time around."

Gohan frowned and crossed his arms. _What about Treesa?_ Heightened ki caused warm wind to blow around him, ruffling Videl's pigtails.

"Don't worry though." She waved her hands. "No civilians were seriously hurt. We even found a little girl's parents…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes grew a little watery.

Gohan let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his stance. He noticed Videl's sad face and looked at her, concerned.

She caught his gaze and stuttered. "I… He…" Videl's eyes dropped to the ground. "S-saiyaman saved my life and… and he died." Surprise shone through Gohan's features. He tiled his head questioningly. _You think I died?_

Videl caught his look. "He… vanished after an explosion."

Gohan set a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, smiling in amusement.

"He's… not dead?" Videl looked up at him. She blew out her cheeks in relief as Gohan grinned broadly. "Thank Kami! I'd never let him live it down if he died after saving me." He stifled his laughter. _That's totally something you'd say Videl._ Videl looked up at him with thankfulness and admiration in her eyes. "Thank you, whoever you are."

Gohan felt something stir deep in his chest. Heart racing, he blushed and nodded to the blue eyed girl. The golden teen then lifted into the air and flew back to the park, feeling lighter than he had all day.

As he flew away, Gohan heard Videl shout. "Wait! How do you know he's not dead?!"

* * *

AAAAAAAAND Part 2! MAN but that was a long chapter!  
Let's welcome back Gold Fighter and special guest, the frisky Brief's household! *applause*  
Also, a warm welcome to our first OC! *applause*  
And please welcome back… Rough times for Gohan! *raucous applause*

Lotsa stoof happening around here, so hold yon horses till I can!  
Thanks to those who have been reviewing! I really appreciate all your thoughts!  
Read and Review for the good vibes and explosions!


	10. Rough End to a Rough day (Part Three?)

Merry Christhanukahkwanzawhateveryoucelebratemas.  
There. That about covers it.

**DISCLAIMER**: I love me some saiyans in the morning! But I don't own anything, so nothing but dragonball shaped pancakes for breakfast.  
BTW there is cussing in this chappy. BEWARE!

Ch. 10: Rough End to a Rough day

* * *

"So, do you think somebody's streaking?"

"Hard to say." Sharpner looked from the pile of clothes to Erasa. "It's only a shirt, some weird tank thing, and some shoes."

"Yeah, but you don't usually find clothing in the middle of the park."

"True." Sharpner scratched his head. "Maybe someone is getting frisky in the bushes."

Erasa slapped him on the arm. "Pervert."

Gohan, hiding up a tree near the blondes, turned beet red. _I'm not! I swear I'm not! Nope!_ He held his helmet in one hand. How it managed to land in a tree was beyond him. _Please, just leave! I can't deal with you guys right now! Please please pleeeeeeeease!_

"C'mon. Videl said she was at the bank helping to clean up." Sharpner started walking away.

"I dunno… Shouldn't we bring these with us?" Erasa called after Sharpner. "Videl might be interested in it. After all, there was a massive crime just a little bit ago."

Sharpner continued to head towards the bank. "I'm sure the criminals having sex in the bushes would _love_ to be interrupted." Erasa rolled her eyes and left the clothing alone.

_Sharpner… I don't know whether to love you or hate you._ Gohan groaned in his mind. He waited until they had left the area before dashing out to snatch up his clothes. He was making sure he had all his belongings when he noticed something missing.

_Shenanigans and malarkey!_ Gohan looked around frantically. _Where's my armband?!_ He looked up to see Treesa back on the swing-set they found her on earlier.

She was staring right at him.

Gohan, still blond, blue eyed, and shirtless, power emanating from him in waves, walked slowly over to her and knelt down. "Hi."

"… Hi."

"Can I have that?" He pointed to the armband.

"… Why?"

"Uh… because?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it belongs to Saiyaman." She stated matter-of-factly. Her eyes started to tear up. "Saiyaman has to come and get it himself."

Gohan blinked. _She thinks I'm dead too?_ He grinned suddenly. "Oh. Is that all?" Gohan forced himself to power down. Why was returning to base form suddenly difficult? Nevertheless, hair returned to normal. Eyes turned back to the deep pools that could stare through a person. "There. Better now?" he asked.

Treesa looked stunned for a moment. She then smiled shyly. "Yeah."

"So... can I have that back please?"

She nodded and handed the cloth back to Gohan. He took it and pulled it up his arm. He dressed quickly, putting all but his helmet back on. Treesa just sat on her swing and watched him.

"What's your name?"

Gohan looked up from his armor. "Uh… Saiyaman."

"No, your _name_! Not your hero name!"

"Oh…" _Well, there's no harm in telling her is there? She's what, 6 years old?_ "My name is Gohan."

Treesa smiled and blushed. "Hi Gohan."

"Hi Treesa." Gohan knelt down in front of her. "Could you do me a favor?" She nodded. "Promise you won't tell anyone who I am?" When she nodded again, Gohan held out his hand.

"Pinky swear?"

Treesa held out her hand. "I sol-em-nem-ly swear."

They hooked pinkies and Gohan smiled. "Thanks Treesa."

In response, Treesa leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Gohan."

Gohan smiled even more broadly, pleased down to his toes. He placed his helmet on his head and lifted off into the sky. Waving goodbye to Treesa, he flew to the opposite side of the park. While he flew, the saiyan teen mused on how he had trouble powering down. _How strange… I'll have to talk to Vegeta about that. My ki is still too high for my liking, but whatever. _He smiled happily. _Nothing can bring down my mood right now!_

Abruptly, Gohan froze midair. His face turned very pale. "Crapcicles! I forgot to talk to Bulma!" He spun on a dime, hoping against hope that Chichi hadn't called her yet.

* * *

"That guy! He's… he's such a jerk!"

"I know right?!" Erasa sat next to Videl on a park bench. "That was a total jerk move!"

"You both know he's trying to keep his identity a secret right?" Sharpner said, leaning up against a nearby tree.

"Yeah, but still!" Erasa huffed. "He could've at least waited until I got there!"

"Not what I'm angry about Erasa." Videl gnawed her thumbnail. "I know next to nothing about the Gold Fighter. And what do I do when he shows up? I end up gawking like a little schoolgirl!" She slammed her fist into her palm. "I should've taken him into custody!"

"I would've loved to take him into _my_ custody." Erasa sighed dreamily.

Sharpner grimaced. "That's not right Erasa."

"Whatever Sharpie. I know it was what Videl was thinking." Erasa elbowed her friend, eliciting a blush from the girl. "Right?"

"No! I wasn't thinking anything about how he looked!" Videl's face grew redder. "I mean… I was just…" _Shut up Videl! Spill the beans to the worlds biggest gossip why don't you!_

"Oh you poor girl." Erasa threw an arm around Videl, hugging her close. "You got it so bad, you can't even come up with a decent excuse."

"Can it Erasa!" Videl got up from the bench angrily. Not so much at Erasa, but at herself for not being able to deny anything. "I needed to question the guy! Not fantasize about him!" She said, folding her arms angrily across her chest. "He knows something about Saiyaman."

"Saiyaman? How do you figure?" Erasa asked.

Videl began pacing. "How could he have known that Saiyaman was still alive unless he was there to see him? How could he have known Saiyaman was here unless the two know each other?"

"A coincidence?"

"Yeah no." Videl frowned at the blond girl. "They showed up at the same time and have never been seen together at a crime scene. But if one doesn't show, the other does!"

"So they know each other. Big deal." Sharpner said. "Doesn't change the fact that you don't know crap about either of them."

"Gee, thanks captain obvious." Videl's sarcasm left the boy wincing slightly. "Anyway that Gold Fighter guy really bugs me. He came to the heist today all high and mighty… and what then? He leaves before I could question him!"

Erasa looked on curiously as Videl steamed. A sudden look of mischievousness crossed her face. "Videl, you're just pissed because you didn't get to make out with the Gold Fighter today. I know you wanted to."

Videl turned very red. "LIKE HELL I DID!" _Erasa isn't totally wrong…_ some part of her mind supplied. However, Videl shut that part down faster than she could throw a punch. She resumed her angry pacing, back on the topic at hand. "They are connected, I just know it! And it's not just the Gold Fighter. Saiyaman himself is hiding something!"

"Hiding something?" Sharpner queried. "Are you kidding me? He's trying to keep his identity a secret. You've known that and have been dogging him since day one." He smiled, "That's the only thing those two have in common. You know… besides the flying and 'super strength' that everyone's on about."

Erasa tilted her head, thinking. "Could they be the same guy?" She voiced aloud.

"Maybe, but they're completely different." Videl shook her head. "Saiyaman is just… a guy with some strange abilities. He's a total goofball." _Well, maybe not a total goofball. _The events in the park circled in her mind. "He's got this whole superhero thing running for him. The Gold Fighter, however, has some serious power and just shows up without any introduction. He's a complete mystery."

Sharpner grinned. "You mean he's a total badass!"

Erasa looked to her blond friend. "I thought you said you hated him?"

"I said I could take him, not that I hated him. Besides, he seemed like an okay guy to me."

"Oh no!" Erasa put a hand over her heart dramatically. "Sharpner has become a… a…"

"A what?" Videl asked impatiently.

"A…. FANBOY!"

The raven haired girl shook her head. "Get real."

"Oh. He's a total G.F. fanboy."

Sharpner scowled. "I'm no fanboy! I just respect the guy alright?"

"Don't deny it so hard Sharpner! I know that you are having sweaty man-dreams about the Gold Fighter." Erasa shook her head. "I just thought you'd still be a Mr. Satan fan though."

Videl made a face. "Gross."

"NONONONONO." Sharpner flailed his arms in the air. "I AM NOT A FANBOY! Especially not a hentai one! That is the grossest thing you've ever said Erasa!"

"Oh Kami it's true isn't it?!" Erasa's smile grew. "Well, of course it is! Who wouldn't want a piece of that roast beefcake?"

"NO! NO IT'S NOT!" Sharpner hollered. His face the epitome of outrage. The stare he sent at her could've killed a small puppy with its intensity. Watching Erasa grin, he came to the realization that she was messing with him. The blond let out a sigh and slumped back against a tree. "I didn't come here to get ragged on by you guys. I just wanted to talk to Gohan."

Videl's ears perked up. "Gohan? Why would you come here to talk to Gohan?"

"Well, Erasa told me that you invited him out here. I figured I'd try to patch things up with him."

"What did you do?"

Sharpner looked sheepishly to the ground. Erasa spoke up for him. "He pranked him and got a full view of his deliciously hot bod which he refuses to tell me about!"

Videl stared at Erasa. "You still believe that?"

Erasa pouted. "Of course I do!" She glanced at Sharpner. "Tell her Sharpie!"

"Oh no. I've made enough mistakes already today. Damn, I honestly just wanted to talk to the guy." Sharpner's sheepish look intensified. "I've been a real jerk."

"Don't get too down on yourself about it." Erasa comforted him. "I'm sure that Gohan just had to get home. He's got that long trip to school and back after all. Besides, I think he's not the type of guy to hold a grudge over it. Just talk to him at school tomorrow."

"Yeah well, talking to him woulda helped."

"Yeah… HEY!" Erasa leapt to her feet. "That's it!"

Videl rubbed her temples tiredly. _That girl can switch topics like a pro. _Erasa's voice after all that action at the bank was taking a toll on her headache. "What's it, Erasa?"

"I've been thinking how you were planning to get to the Gold Fighter."

_Oh great. _Videl sighed and turned to face her friend. _Here it comes._

"I mean," Erasa continued, "it's so obvious that you like him. If you want to have a thousand babies with him, you need to talk to the guy!"

"I do not like him like that! And besides, how do you think I'm supposed to do that? I've been searching for this guy ever since he showed up! Like Sharpner said, I know next to nothing about him."

"Well, you said how you think Saiyaman knew him. Ask Saiyaman to arrange a meeting."

Videl's eyebrows knitted together in thought. "Huh. That's… not a bad idea." _It's… plausible. Saiyaman might actually get me an interview with the guy._

"Of course it is!"

Videl smiled. "You're smarter than you seem Erasa."

Erasa shrugged. "I've been getting that a lot lately." She grinned. "Come on, let's grab a snack. It's starting to get late and I have to get home at some point today."

* * *

Bulma sat at the kitchen table, looking over some documents she'd neglected for… other activities. The blue haired genius blushed slightly at the thought. Being married to a saiyan was interesting to say the least. _Who woulda thought that Vegeta could be such a passionate guy? Then again, he does put a lot of passion into the stuff he does. Even if it's only training._ Bulma looked across the table at the little lavender head bent over a new game. _Wish he'd devote more time to family though._

Her son, Trunks, was sitting at the table with her, playing on his handheld game console. Vegeta had been against him getting one, but what's the harm in a little game? Not everyone can train 24-7 like he could. Bulma smiled over her papers at her son. _I'm not married to the most romantic guy in the world, but Trunks has to be one of the best perks to having him around. _She returned her attention to the papers, determined to get some work done.

"Hey Bulma. Hey Trunks."

Bulma looked up from the documents in surprise. Gohan stood there in her kitchen, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Gohan!" Trunks grinned. "You're back!"

"Back?" Bulma looked at Gohan questioningly. "It's good to see you, but you were here earlier?"

"Uh… yeah." Gohan scratched the back of his neck. "You were… indisposed at the time."

"Yeah. You guys were 'training'." Trunks added, to Gohan's embarrassment.

"Oh!" Bulma covered her blush._ Well, it's not like we were being discreet about it._ "I'm sorry Gohan!"

A red faced Gohan waved away her apology. "It's cool. Just… don't talk about it again."

"Sorry." Bulma stood from her seat at the table. "What can I do for you Gohan?"

"I was wondering if I could spend the night."

"Well sure Gohan." Bulma tilted her head questioningly. "Does your mother know?"

Gohan looked at the floor. "No, not really."

"Hmm…" Bulma cocked her head to the side. This was uncharacteristic of Gohan. Normally he was such a momma's boy. "Well, you're going to have to call her before you stay over. I don't want Chichi hollering at me because you didn't ask for permission first."

The teen's shoulders slumped. "Is… is it okay if you talk to her?"

"If you want to stay the night, you have to ask her yourself."_ Did something happen Gohan? It's not like you to hesitate to call your mom._

Gohan's face paled. He walked over to the phone sitting on the counter, took a deep breath and dialed his home number. Bulma stood a little behind him. Not to eavesdrop mind, but to catch a bit of the conversation.

A high pitched voice answered the phone. A small smile lifted Gohan's face, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "… Hey Goten. Yeah, sorry I didn't come home right away… I know I promised… Don't worry! I'm still going to teach you! … Really? How big? … Wow! I want to see it when I get home. … I know… I know, I'm sorry." A pause. "Tell you what squirt, I'll come straight home tomorrow and you can have me the rest of the day, alright?"

Bulma smiled. _He's really got a way with kids._ Gohan had been the proverbial older brother to her own son and could see how much he doted upon the little watched as Gohan's bright eyes darkened.

"Yeah, listen Goten, I need to talk to mom… Yeah… I'm sorry Goten. I know she's mad… Yeah…"

A moment of silence passed.

"…Hey mom." Gohan's smile vanished. An angry voice could be heard over the phone line. "Yeah, I know but… but you… that's…" Gohan clenched his fists. "Just listen! I was going to…. Hold on mom! I was….. But I…."

Bulma's concern grew. _What a one sided conversation! Chichi really must be dishing it out today. _Her eyebrows drew together. Chichi had it rough. She wouldn't know what she'd do if Vegeta died and couldn't come back. _Though she doesn't have to be so hard on Gohan. Hope she's doing alright…_

"Mom! Just let me…" Gohan's muscles tensed. "… No, I'm not… that's not…"

Suddenly he slammed his fist on the countertop, shattering the marbled surface. "JUST LISTEN! I _wasn't_ running away! I just want to spend the night at Bulma's!" A pause. "No! Do NOT take this out on Vegeta! He's trying to help me!" Another pause. Bulma's heart clenched at what he said next.

"Well I'm SO SORRY that you can't have a NORMAL FAMILY!" And Gohan slammed the phone down on the receiver with such a force, that the phone exploded. Bulma shielded her face from the debris and looked back at Gohan.

Waves of power pulsed from his back. A slight breeze resulted from it. Bulma glanced to the side to see Trunks standing a little in front of her, eyes wide and clearly stunned at Gohan.

The blue haired genius regained her composure slightly. "What did she say?" Bulma walked over to look him in the eye. Her tone was sympathetic. "Gohan, what did she say to you?"

Gohan clammed up, gritting his teeth. For the second time that day, his ki spiked higher. His hair flickered golden and his eyes flashed a fathomless blue. Trunks felt his hair stand on end at the aura Gohan emitted. Yes he was young, but even he could tell that Gohan was silently screaming 'stop me'. Trunks did the only thing he could do.

"DAD!"

In an instant, Vegeta was there.

The shorter saiyan held Gohan's shoulder in an iron grip. "Calm down boy." He allowed his own ki to rise and match Gohan's energy. Bulma backed away to stand next to Trunks, intimidated by the fierce wind filling the kitchen. The energy created by the two warriors continued to rise, neither growing higher than the other. It was like an invisible battle of wills. Cutlery clattered in the drawers that held them. Dishes rattled and fell, shattering on the floor.

Gohan squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold on to his emotions. It was so hard to get control. Harder than it should've been. Deep down, he felt the unquenchable need to get someone to stop him. To test how far he could go before he had to succumb to them. Vegeta's eyes narrowed and his grip on Gohan grew harder. Slowly, painfully, the ki Gohan was emitting shrank down to a containable level.

Vegeta looked to Bulma, demanding an explanation. Bulma shook her head. "I think Chichi said something to him." She looked into Gohan's pained eyes and smiled gently. "He'll be spending the night here tonight."

The prince nodded his assent. He pushed Gohan in the direction of the gravity room. "Get to the gravity chamber, fool. I will be there shortly to test you." Gohan nodded stiffly, too focused on controlling himself to be relieved, and moved to follow Vegeta's instructions. When he was gone, Vegeta turned to Bulma. His eyes hard and serious. "You do not know how much danger you are in. Leave the premises or get killed." When Bulma shook her head, Vegeta growled. "Foolish woman! You don't know what kind of power he's capable of in this state!"

"I don't care. I'm not leaving you two alone together. There've been too many explosions at this house as it is!"

Vegeta facepalmed. "Have you no sense?!"

"I'll be fine." Bulma scoffed. "Besides, what could he really do with you around to keep him in check?"

Vegeta smirked. "I know you are pandering to my ego," he replied smoothly, "but you are correct in your assumption. I shall do my best to contain him. If the earth gets destroyed in the process then all the better."

"Thanks so much, prince-of-all-jerks."

"It is my pleasure, queen-of-all-idiots."

"You prick!"

"Wench."

"Uh… Dad?" Trunks interrupted. "The house is shaking again."

And it really was. "We're losing time." He turned to his wife. "If you are so insistent on staying, get more of those sedatives you enhanced. We may need them." Vegeta looked to Trunks. "Get your mother out if it becomes too much." Trunks nodded at his father, watching as he moved to the gravity room.

The boy looked to his mother. "Mom, what's going on with Gohan?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Bulma picked up the phone and dialed the number for the son residence. _Chichi, you have some explaining to do!_

* * *

Gohan stood in the center of the gravity room. His body tense. His knuckles white as he clenched his fists. His mother's words rang in his head. _Normal family… Why can't I have a normal family… Normal…_ He looked up as Vegeta entered. The teen watched as the flame haired man walked to the console and cranked up the gravity. Immediately Gohan felt the pull of a new weight on his body. Unconsciously his ki rose to compensate. Vegeta glanced over to him before cranking the gravity higher.

Gohan watched as Vegeta turned from the console to move slowly to stand in front of him. In the base form, the gravity was almost too much to handle. Gohan felt his blood begin to broil, staring down another saiyan in a heavy environment.

Vegeta stared at him. "What did that harpy of a mother say?" His deep voice ground out.

Gohan's eyes flashed. "Don't talk about her that way!" His energy escalated. He forced his ki back down painfully, before speaking again. "She… wants a normal family."

"Normal?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

The teen nodded. "And I'm not normal." The wind in the room picked up again. "She… mom just…"

"The woman doesn't understand." Gohan stared at Vegeta as he spoke. "You will never be normal, compared to the people on this weakling planet."

"I know! But she just… AUGH!" Gohan let out a yell of frustration, allowing himself to go super. With the escalation of power came a sense of relief. However, the feeling was lost as he stopped his energy climb.

Vegeta powered up as well, golden light filling the room. "You are going through a rite of passage into manhood. You are becoming an adult! Do not let your harpy mother's expectations define you. You will never get through this if you do."

_You… you BASTARD! _"Don't…" Gohan shouted, throwing himself at Vegeta in a rage, "Call. Her. Names!"

Prepared for the onslaught, Vegeta parried and sent Gohan into the wall. He smirked cockily as Gohan pulled himself to his feet. "What are you going to do about it?"

"_Prèpavte tse!" _Gohan roared, rushing towards the prince.  
(Prepare yourself!)

Vegeta's eyes widened. "_Cote jstè rîtkal?!" _He demanded, dodging to the left and simultaneously throwing a punch.  
(What did you say?!)

Gohan flew back from the punch, but recovered midair. His eyes were narrowed as he spoke. "I said…" His hand moved up to his head. "What… what did I say?"

"You spoke in the language of our homeland! How could you not know!?"

"I… I wasn't…" Gohan raised his hands in a placating gesture. He really hadn't been thinking. The question had confused him to the point of momentarily losing his anger. His ki however, continued rising.

"_HLUPAK!_" Vegeta came at him furiously. "_Nenechajte znesvätit mojím jazytkom tro tak!_"  
(FOOL! Do not desecrate my language thus!)

"I… I didn't…" Gohan blocked the punches thrown at him. As they came faster, his heart began pounding harder. Adrenaline filled him. His thoughts were thrown to the wind once more and words sprung unbidden to his lips.

"_Aj znesvätit nic. Ty portupe sah!_"  
(I desecrate nothing. You dishonor yourself!)

Vegeta lost his temper. "_Sten nehodný tejto sifly! Nevzdelant slaboch!_"  
(You are unworthy of this power! Ignorant weakling!)

Without warning and without any thought on Gohan's part, the younger saiyan evaded the next punch, fazed behind Vegeta and dealt a swift blow to the back of his neck. Vegeta's eyes rolled back into his head as he slumped forward. He hit the floor of the gravity room like a lead sack, succumbing to the pull of gravity. His hair returned to pitch black flame as he lie there, unconscious.

Gohan, however, only grew more agitated. His hands gripped the sides of his head as if in pain. The words Vegeta said echoed in his mind.

_What are you going to do about it? What can an unworthy weakling like you do about it?_

_What are you going to do?_

_What will you do?_

His power rose steadily now, unchecked by the teen's conflicted and angry brain. He didn't notice the world becoming strangely defined… as if it were in stark contrast to everything around it. Gohan's canines lengthened. His senses sharpening to a knife's edge. Muscles singing with tension becoming larger and firmer as raw energy surged through them.

He was suddenly aware of Bulma and Trunks. Though they were in another room on another floor, he was sure that they were there… and they were worried.

_They… they're leaving. _Gohan wondered. _Why would they leave?_ The teen didn't notice how badly the house, gravity room included was shaking. _It's… it's me isn't it? I'm... I'm not… normal. _Anger resurged through him as he looked at his hands. _I know I'm not normal! Why can't I be accepted for that?! At least at my own home!_ He glanced down at Vegeta.

Vegeta glowed with energy.

_Wh-what?! _Gohan looked around him frantically. _It's… it back! _Everything in the room, though faint, glowed with power. Gohan looked back to Vegeta in amazement. He was out cold, but still his very body hummed with it. The energy flowed just beneath the surface of the Saiyan prince's skin. Gohan's eyes floated to the ceiling. _I have to see more!_

Lifting a hand, Gohan blasted a hole to the open air. Ki lifted him up and out of the building effortlessly. The young man took no mind of the shouts from Bulma and continued higher. He stopped high above the clouds and looked around.

Everywhere.

There was energy everywhere.

And he could see it once again. His heart rejoiced in his chest. Soon, however, it stilled in reverence of what it saw.

Gohan felt as though he was witnessing the birth of the universe. Laid out before him was life. Everywhere he looked, light and shining. Glowing with power. Raw beauty flowing from one thing to another in an endless cycle. The worries of the day left him as he watched. The buoyant power filling him with awe and wonder.

As before he glanced down at his own body.

Nothing.

The elevated ki surging around him rose higher in frustration. He hit the ascended super saiyan level. Lightning arched off his body in small surges. _Not yet! I… I can't even compare to all this!_ _I know I'm not complete. I'm still missing something, but what could it be? How do I find it? _He raised his eyes to the sky above. It was evening, the sun was set slowly in the west. Stars began to twinkle at the edges of the horizon.

A thought struck him. _How high can I go?_

"Gohan!"

His thoughts interrupted, the teen turned his senses from the sky to a figure approaching him from afar. His keen eyes picked the being out easily. It pulsed with energy. A powerful energy. A familiar energy.

"Gohan!" Piccolo screeched to a halt mid air, a few meters away from where Gohan hung in empty space. "Gohan! You need to calm down!"

_I know this person._ Gohan's brow furrowed. _Mr.… Mr. Piccolo?_ Memories assailed him. A tough glare, a stern frown, a sad smile…

Death.

Abruptly Gohan was thrust into a memory. All else was wiped from his mind. Even Piccolo's shouting was tuned out in response to the strength of it.

Gohan looked around him. A barren landscape. In front of him stood a large man, shirtless and angry. A sense of horror overcame him as he recognized the memory.

The boy Gohan stood petrified before Nappa. A beam of energy raced towards him. _Move Gohan! MOVE!_ He screamed in his mind. _YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!_

He raised his arms to somehow block the attack when suddenly, a figure blocked out the light. The powerful blast tore through his body, but the figure stayed upright, shielding Gohan from the brunt of it. _Wha… Who…_ Gohan's bewildered mind looked on in shock as the power died out and Piccolo slumped to the ground.

"No! Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan knelt by his side. "No! No… you can't die because of me!" _No… it's this memory._

"R-run… Gohan." _Please… just run away! Don't make me watch this again!_

"N-no Piccolo! I won't leave you! Dad will be here soon! Please! Please don't die!" _Please no… Piccolo…_

"Imagine me… saving some brat like you…" _If only I was stronger… _

"Mr. Piccolo… please hold on!" _If only you didn't have to protect me…_

"Gohan… you're the only person… I've ever known that didn't… treat me like a monster…" _Piccolo… I…_

"Mr. Piccolo… please…" _Please… don't die… please…_

"Tr-truth be told… this last year wasn't so bad..." Tears appeared in his eyes.

"Piccolo… no…" _Don't leave me…_

Piccolo smiled. "Th-thank you… Gohan…." His eyes closed and his head slumped over to the side listlessly.

Gohan stared at him. "No… NO!" He pushed himself to his feet and let out a cry pulled from the depths of his soul.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Piccolo watched Gohan freeze. A look came into his eyes. One filled with pain and sorrow. Piccolo could make out words, faint, but clear.

"No… please… don't die… please…" Piccolo was surprised to see tears build at the corners of his eyes. "Don't leave…"

"Mr. Piccolo..."

Piccolo's eyes widened. _What?! _

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Power exploded from the figure in front of him, pouring out just like his tears. The cry tearing from Gohan's throat pierced straight to Piccolo's heart. The ki he felt tore his turban from his head and sent him spinning back through the air.

"I'm not dead!" He shouted at the teen.

Gohan didn't hear a word. His heart wrenching cry turned into an animalistic roar. The already long canines in his mouth became fangs. Eyes once again took on a reddish tint. The arching electricity grew in frequency. Hair grew longer and more radiant.

"Piccolo!" The namekian spun to see Vegeta fly up beside him, ki blazing.

"Vegeta, what happened to Gohan?!" Piccolo demanded.

Gohan suddenly stopped screaming. His eyes latched onto Vegeta. "You!" His voice cut through the air like a razor blade.

Vegeta flinched. He was woefully unprepared for Gohan's sudden fury. There was no stopping the young man from punching the ever loving snot out of the saiyan prince. Vegeta was knocked back down to earth, Gohan hot on his tail. Luckily, Vegeta had enough sense to dodge the next attack. The massive right straight send the roof of capsule corp. crumbling to the ground.

"You hurt my dad you bastard!" Gohan's ki was visible now to the untrained eye. A flame like aura wreathed his body as he sped after Vegeta.

The shorter saiyan turned and threw ki blasts at Gohan. Angrily, Gohan batted them aside. Unfortunately, they hit the surrounding Capsule Corp buildings.

Piccolo swore. "Shit!" _The kid's going to hurt someone if he keeps this up! He'll never be able to live with himself once this is over. _The green warrior watched Vegeta struggle against Gohan. Gohan obviously had the upper hand. In the fading light of day, Vegeta threw out a feeble solar flare. Piccolo used the opportunity to fight through the power unleashed from Gohan and rush toward him. "Calm DOWN kid!" He wrapped Gohan in a firm grip. "I'm not dead."

The boy squirmed. Powerful arms nearly breaking Piccolo's own. Gohan cursed in a foreign tongue, but Piccolo held on tighter. Electricity arched from Gohan onto Piccolo, burning him. Had Piccolo not fused with Kami in order to stop cell, hanging onto Gohan would be next to impossible at this point. He could feel the muscles in his body ripping as he tried desperately to restrain Gohan. Eventually the teenager stilled, but was tense as the taller warrior embraced him. "Calm down." Piccolo sent waves of calm into the furious young man. He spoke into his mind. _Gohan. Calm yourself._

"P-Piccolo?" His voice was disbelieving. Vegeta, ignored for the moment, dived into the wreckage of one of the buildings. Presumably to fetch sedatives.

The namekian wrapped his ki around Gohan. _It's me kid._

_But… you died. I… couldn't save you._

Piccolo understood. He was caught in a memory. _That was then. I gave myself for you because you changed my life. I wanted you to live. _That also would explain why he was suddenly fixated on Vegeta. He was the cause of a lot of pain in young Gohan's life.

Gohan trembled. _How could I ever be good enough… when I can't save those close to me?_

_You did save me kid. You were the one to bring me out of a dark place. Get a hold of yourself. Remember who you are._

_I… I don't know… I have to find out if I'm strong enough. Who I am… Why I have this power… _

_I get it kid. _He felt himself torn away by the sheer outpouring of energy. It was just too much to handle anymore. He released Gohan and allowed himself to get pushed away. _Just be sure to come back when you're done. I'm not going to stop you._

Gohan smiled suddenly. Tears still fresh on his cheeks, he looked strangely radiant. _Thanks Piccolo._ His mental voice was calm. His eyes were no longer red. The dark eyed teen looked up and shot into the heavens, startling Piccolo. A golden light trail following him.

Piccolo stared after him in wonder. "Holy…" He'd never seen Gohan go that fast. He'd never seen _anyone_ go that fast.

"Namekian!" An angry shout called up from below. Piccolo grunted down at Vegeta as he emerged from the hole in the roof of a Capsule Corp. building. "What the hell happened?!"

"Gohan was too much for you. I was able to break through his rage and restore his sanity if only slightly. He is much more conscious of himself than last time."

Vegeta scowled. "He has not fully succumbed to the urge. The further he goes, the worse it becomes." He massaged his temples. "Please tell me you didn't let him get away."

Piccolo smirked. "Yerp."

"AAAAUGH" Vegeta shot up after Gohan. "YOU FOOL!"

Piccolo darted after him. "What do you mean? I saw no reason to restrain him further."

"He's going to seek out a challenge!" Vegeta spat at the green alien. "How high are you able to fly? I know _I_ can't breathe in space!"

Piccolo's jaw went slack in realization. "Oh... shi-"

* * *

Gohan flew higher and higher. The atmosphere thinned around him, but he didn't notice. The sky grew darker, until he was surrounded by the night. The clouds were illuminated by the glow of his ki until the teen got higher than the clouds.

And then he saw it.

The power he saw on earth was potent, but it didn't compare to the universe.

He'd seen it once before, but even now he was astounded. Everything exploded with energy. The stars… the multitude of universes all shining with life. If anything, he could compare it to the painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Starry night, he recalled vaguely.

And the moon.

Kami it was huge. Gohan stared at it in all its glory as it rose over the horizon. It was magnificent. So far away, but so big it was like he could reach out and take it in his hand. The soft glow bathed his body in light, changing his golden glow into a soft white shimmer. Peace cascaded over his consciousness.

Gohan, mind clear, felt his blood pound through his body. A primal part of his spirit responded to the sight of the moon. It was strangely elating. His breathing grew harsher and power rippled through his body. It too was responding to the unadulterated view of the moon. Staring at it, Gohan came to a sudden realization.

_This is part of who I am._ He looked down at the earth. He was pretty far away from it. The pull of gravity was close to nothing out there. Gohan admired the vibrant color and life seen even in the darkness of night. _This too, is who I am. I am of the moon and of the earth. I am human and saiyan. They are inseparable in me._

_Mom… I know she loves me, but why can't she understand that I am different? I will never be a normal person. I am my mother's son, but I am also my father's son. These two things must be reconciled. I can't be defined by one or the other anymore. I am my own person. A combination of two worlds and a separate lifetime of experiences. Who dares say I should be anything other than what I am?_

His head began to feel strange. The power was beginning to overwhelm him, as was the lack of oxygen. The super saiyan glow faded back to normal. _No… _Gohan protested mentally. _I'm… not done yet! There's still more I… need to know. I haven't… reached it yet. I … still need… to find my… limit. _He floated motionless for a moment, before falling back towards the earth. As he lost consciousness, Gohan looked into the universe and saw once again how powerful it was compared to himself.

_If I have been given this power… if I have any power at all… what will I do with it?_

Gohan surrendered to the darkness and fell headlong to earth in a deep sleep.

* * *

OH CHILD.

There it is. I hated this chapter so much. I wrote it by the seat of my pants and regretted the first draft. That's why it took me so long to get it out. Heck, I might add more to this before I post it. That last bit there seems a bit scatterbrained, BUT it is WAY better than it was before.  
-flails about- ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGES.  
BTW: I wanted put that line about roast beefcake in here for a while! I'm gonna put it in again later! haHA! Mmmmm delicious saiyan beefcake.

Oh and happy holidays. Nerrrrrr…

Srsly tho. :D Thanks for the awesome reviews! Send some more my way!


	11. Little Brothers

Let's get this show on the road!  
*drives ATV off a cliff*

**DISCLAIMER**: Why do I keep this in here? Oh yes. In case someone thinks I'm plagiarizing. I don't own nuthin'. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

Ch. 11: Little Brothers

* * *

Vegeta was somewhat pissed. Some half saiyan brat had just one-upped him and had spoken his native tongue. A language that was now dead. Naturally some people would be a little incensed at this. But, being royalty, Vegeta had opted to beat Gohan's face in when the boy woke up. Kicking an unconscious horse was only fun when it woke up and decided to do battle.

Piccolo watched as Vegeta kicked the door in vehemently. Entering one of the undamaged buildings on the compound, he followed Vegeta down a dark hallway. The prince ignored him, muttering something about idiot half-breeds. Piccolo looked to the sleeping figure in Vegeta's arms.

Gohan.

They'd followed the teenager as far as they dared, but couldn't reach his height. The atmosphere was too thin. Looking up, the two warriors saw a golden speck stark against the night sky. They watched as the glow increased at the sight of the full moon rising. Even Vegeta in all his frustration, grew silent at its appearance. Reverent almost, if Vegeta could ever express reverence.

The light surrounding Gohan turned silver white. Vegeta closed his eyes and the moonlight bathed him similarly. While not so vibrant, Vegeta's aura became a soft and more peaceful silvery glow. He absorbed the moonlight like a sponge takes in water. When he opened his eyes again, Piccolo was startled to see a feral wildness in them. The peaceful glow contrasted with the danger in his gaze.

There was obviously more to being saiyan than Vegeta was telling.

Piccolo was pulled from his thoughts as Gohan fell. The glow around him vanished and Gohan was lost from view. Luckily, they spotted him as he fell into the city and rushed to his body. A crowd had already gathered around the boy. This would be all over the news before long. Teenagers, well built teenagers wearing torn up clothing, rarely fall from the skies these days. Vegeta's expression grew dark as they approached. He shouted at the crowd and shot a few energy blasts. People ran away screaming.

Piccolo smirked at the memory of Vegeta chasing screaming reporters. Who knew he was good at crowd control?

"The hell are you smiling at?!" An angry snarl came at Piccolo.

The namekian grinned. "Just thinking of your devoted fans."

"Pah! Weaklings all of them! They are worthless insects crawling over a parasite infested mudball." Vegeta glared at the unconscious form of Gohan, now resting on a small bed in a room adjacent to the hallway. "Why he chooses to protect them like his third rate father is beyond me."

"Wait, isn't he a filthy half breed?" Piccolo asked sarcastically. "Thought you didn't care about weaklings like him."

"… I do not care for him," Vegeta turned to look out the window to the moon. "but he is the closest thing I have to kin on this side of the universe."

Hiding his surprise at Vegeta's honesty, the tall green warrior looked back to Gohan. He placed a gentle hand on his head, ruffling the dark hair softly. Piccolo was suddenly awash in memories of Gohan's childhood. Smiling fondly, he let his hand fall.

"I understand what you mean."

Vegeta frowned. "He's been repressing himself. Things… will be harder from here on out." The flame haired man looked back at the still form on the bed. "Suppressing aggressive urges will become very difficult for the boy. It is good that he was stopped tonight. If he fights this any longer, he will break and no one will be able to stop him."

"Hn." Piccolo looked at Vegeta's back. "Perhaps that's for the best. He'll be able to find his limit."

Vegeta nodded. "It is as you say."

For the next few minutes, neither spoke. Soon, Gohan would be uncontainable. The silence was relished while it lasted. In this time, amidst all the questions Piccolo had for Vegeta, Piccolo looked to Gohan and made a promise. He promised to help the kid in any way he could. After all, Gohan was the one to bring meaning to Piccolo's life. This kid changed him for the better and if he could help him find his limit, he would.

The peaceful, insightful moment shared by two warriors was shattered by Bulma's high pitched screech.

"WHAT'D YOU DO TO MY HOUSE!?"

* * *

Sharpner waited patiently next to the lockers. He knew if he waited long enough, Gohan was sure to show up. The blond glanced down the hallways. Hopefully Gohan wouldn't be too late today. The guy had a bad habit of running late to class.

Luckily, today wasn't one of those days. Sharpner spotted Gohan walking slowly towards him. With his head down and eyes closed, Gohan looked like he was trying to shut out the world. Sharpner swallowed his hesitation and stepped alongside him.

"Hey Gohan."

Gohan looked up. "Hey Sharpner."

"…"

"..."

"Listen man, I'm sor-"

Suddenly, a locker swung open and whacked Gohan in the face. "Good morning Sharpner!" Erasa said cheerfully, oblivious to the pain she just inflicted.

"Kami's pants Erasa!" Gohan reeled back, gripping his head. "What'd you do that for?!"

Erasa's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh! Sorry Gohan! I didn't mean to hit you! Are you okay?"

Gohan nodded as Sharpner examined the locker door. A sizeable dent now marred the blueish surface. "I think your locker got the worst of it."

The dark eyed teen groaned. "Ah… sorry about that. Here." He placed a hand on either side of the locker door and straightened it effortlessly. "I seem to be making a mess of things lately."

Erasa beamed, obviously impressed. Sharpner's eyes were wide and he was doing a nice impression of a fish. "How… how did you…"

Gohan facepalmed. "Ughh. You didn't see that." He walked off in the direction of his own locker.

"Wait!" Sharpner regained his composure and caught up to Gohan. "Hold on a second Gohan!"

Gohan stopped. The blond had used his name. Usually it was brains or nerd-boy. Slowly, he turned to face Sharpner.

"What do you want?"

The blond felt a bit of panic race through him. Talking to Gohan had seemed like a good idea yesterday. But now…What would he say?

Gohan watched Sharpner. For a while neither teen spoke. The blond squirmed under the intense gaze. He found that he couldn't meet Gohan's eyes. Eventually he spoke up.

"So… do you… uh… work out?"

"… Kind of. Yeah." Gohan looked to the ground. "… I study martial arts."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah."

Sharpner let out a low whistle. "Makes sense. You're jacked enough for it."

"Yeah… "

"…"

"…"

"Actually," Gohan muttered, "no one was supposed find out."

"How come?"

"I'm supposed to be normal." Scorn entered his voice. "Gohan the nerd. Perfect straight A student. Nobody worth wasting time on."

Sharpner winced. There it was. "Dude, I'm sorry I treated you like that."

"…"

"I'm serious. I was a jerk about it."

"… Yeah, you were."

"…"

"…"

"Punch me."

Gohan jerked his head up, surprised. "Punch you?"

"Yeah. Take a shot at me."

"Why would I do that?"

"I treated you like a jerk, so you get to take a free shot."

"…What kind of logic is that?" Gohan said. "You sound like my kid brother."

"C'mon. Just do it!"

"Fine. If it'll make you feel better." Gohan shook his head. He muttered something about crazy blonds and biffed Sharpner lightly on the shoulder. The blond teen was surprised at how such a light tap could hurt so much.

He rubbed his sore arm and smiled hesitantly at Gohan. "So… we cool?"

Gohan smiled. "Yeah. We're cool."

Sharpner grinned, relieved. "Awesome."

"But, promise me something."

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone, alright?" Gohan blushed slightly. "I don't want a lot of people to like me because of how I look."

Sharpner stared at him. "You're serious."

"Well… yeah."

"Pssh." Sharpner scoffed. "Erasa was right. You are completely opposite of a normal guy."

"Hey!"

"Seriously. Most guys try really hard to get what you got." Sharpner flexed his own muscles. "They work really hard to get what _I've_ got. Heck, show off those guns of yours and all the girls will come runnin'." Sharpner winked rakishly at the blushing Gohan. "Why hide somethin' like that?"

"For one thing, I don't want girls all over me." Gohan's red face showed discomfort. "There's more but… it's complicated. Just keep it between us okay?"

Sharpner shrugged. "Sure man." He clapped Gohan on the back, wincing at the soreness in his arm. "But I have got to get you to join the boxing club. With you on the team, we'd be unstoppable!"

"Thanks but no thanks." Gohan chuckled nervously. "I've got too much on my plate as it is."

"Don't knock it till you try it."

"Yeah well, we'll see."

"…I still think I could take you in a fight though." Sharpner grinned. They both started walking towards the classroom.

Gohan grinned in kind, but his eyes flashed. "I'll take you on anytime."

Sharpner pulled his fists up in a boxing pose. He bounced on his toes, smirking as he called Gohan by his nickname for the boy. "Bring it brains!"

"Oh please," a voice behind them said, "if anything, you'd be out in the first 10 seconds, Gohan."

"Videl!" Sharpner turned about suddenly, smacking his elbow into Gohan's jaw. A loud crack echoed from the contact. Immediately Videl rushed over to see if Gohan's jaw was broken.

"Are you okay Gohan?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine!" Gohan spun around her and rushed over to Sharpner. "Oh geez! Sharp! Sharpner are you okay?!"

The blond teen gripped his elbow and sunk to his knees. His face was white as a sheet. "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-"

Erasa, who had appeared on the scene soon after the blow to Gohan's face, gasped. "Gohan! What did you_ do_?!"

"I didn't… I mean…" Gohan stuttered. He shook his head. "Hang on Sharpner! I'll get you to the nurse!" Gohan gently pulled the boy's good arm over his shoulders and led him down the hall.

The blond girl turned to Videl and asked her. "What happened, Videl!?"

Videl watched them move away, stunned. Sharpner was the one injured? How did that make any sense? "I… I don't know." Videl stuttered. "Sh-Sharpner hit Gohan in the face and…" Videl looked to Erasa. "Sharpner ended up…" She shook her head. "What in Kami's name is going on around here?"

* * *

Gohan sat at his desk. He listened to the teacher, but seriously considered blasting through the roof and escaping. Or at least running around the room. _Kami but class is boring today._ _It's like they're challenging me… _He held onto his pencil fiercely. Breaking it slightly. _Oh no… not going there. Dende, if you're listening, please help me stay in control._

The morning had been rough for the poor demi-saiyan. It was bad enough that he'd accidentally blown the door off its hinges upon waking, but Bulma informed him that he'd have to go home after school. Capsule Corp couldn't withstand another beating. He also ended up having to borrow some of Vegeta's clothes. He didn't bring a stitch of clothing with him to Capsule Corp. Gohan was dressed in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt that had been too big for Vegeta. After all, Bulma didn't know his size when he first stayed at her house. It was baggy enough, but he had to slouch to keep it from getting too tight across the chest.

Gohan rested his head in his hands, thinking. The events of the night before hadn't stilled any of the restless feelings. If anything they had been amplified. Gohan could vaguely recall what had happened, but it was hazy up until Piccolo stopped him from beating on Vegeta. The events in the upper atmosphere, however, were crystal clear. The question was no longer 'why is this happening', but rather, 'how do I proceed from here'?

He shifted in his seat. He'd done his best to try and wear himself down this morning, but it didn't seem to help. Gohan and Trunks ended up playing a version of tag called blind-man's tag. With blindfolds on, they used their other senses to try and tag each other. This kind of game did wonders for training. They asked Vegeta to play, but he grumbled something about fooling around and disappeared into a spare gravity chamber. So Trunks put his all into it, running about at top speed and throwing punches faster than the naked eye could see. Even though they played this way for 2 hours, Gohan had yet to feel tired or even less tense. Trunks, however, went in and immediately took a nap.

The episode with Sharpner this morning didn't help either. _I'm glad we're on good terms again, but I didn't expect him to try to challenge me to a fight!_ Gohan glanced over at Sharpner and winced. The guy had broken his elbow on Gohan's face. His face! _Thank Kami I kept from accepting that particular challenge. _Sharpner accepted his apologies at the hospital and thankfully didn't ask any questions. Gohan was pretty sure he was just as confused as Videl had been earlier. Gohan's eyes drifted to said girl.

The female crime fighter had figuratively pounced upon Gohan and Sharpner the second they got back to class. Even with all the advances in medical technology, it had taken them the better part of the day to leave the hospital. Videl instantly demanded to know what happened. Gohan silently begged Sharpner not to say anything. The muscular blond kept his word, much to Gohan's amazement, and merely shrugged. He said something along the lines of 'musta hit it wrong' and took his place in the classroom.

Videl turned her head and caught Gohan's stare. He blushed suddenly and turned away, heart pounding. _What the…_ That was a strange reaction. Then again, this was the girl who liked his alter, alter ego. What did that make her? He had no idea.

The teen saiyan was having a hard time keeping himself still. His body sat rigid in the chair, muscles tense to try to keep from fidgeting. Ki surged under his skin, pulsing with each beat of his heart. Itching him to move like nothing else.

"Mr. Son?"

Gohan jumped slightly. "Y-Yes?"

"Would you kindly read the next paragraph?" The teacher asked.

"Ah! S-sure ma'am!" Gohan got to his feet suddenly, knocking the chair he was sitting in over. A mild laughter echoed around the room. Face burning, Gohan righted the chair and read the paragraph aloud.

"Mr. Satan was known as the world's greatest fighter before he became the world's greatest hero."

Gohan had a sudden coughing fit. _They actually printed this in a book?!_ He regained his composure and continued reading.

"After rescuing a bus full of orphans from a *heh*…f-flaming building, *pfff* Mr. Satan decided to become one of the mightiest *snrrk* p-protectors of earth."

Despite being restless as all get out, he found this absolutely hilarious. _This is the worst! I've got to get Krillin a copy of this textbook. _What a lovely distraction this made. He struggled to keep the grin off his face as he read.

"He also saved a little *chuckle* … little old lady from getting hit by a semi. This all occurred right before the terrible Cell Games where Mr. Satan valiantly fought *snicker* for the good of all the inhabitants of earth."

He ignored the strange looks he was getting from the classroom and sat back down. Gohan could practically feel Videl's hateful stare burning through his back. But he didn't care. He knew the truth about Mr. Satan, even though she didn't.

"Thank you Gohan. Though I fail to see how the history of Mr. Satan would be funny in any way." The teacher said huffily. "Who would like to read the next paragraph?"

It was amusing at first to listen to the cheesy things someone had written in the history books about Mr. Satan. After 20 minutes though, Gohan tuned out the rest of the reading to bang his head gently against his desk. Mind numbing was the only way to describe it. Even some of the other students had fallen asleep. He couldn't take much more of this. Gohan turned his head to look out the window. A breeze stirred the papers in the classroom.

But the window was shut.

_Frack!_ Gohan instantly sat up straight and turned his gaze inward. _My ki is too high! How did I not notice?! _After a moment, his eyes snapped open. He couldn't reign in his energy! Focusing on only his physical restlessness, Gohan had neglected to mind his ki.

_Ohhhh frack! Dende! Dende please! _Gohan pleaded. _I need some backup here! _Nothing. The guardian of earth was probably dealing with a disaster or something. He re-focused again on his energy, trying to bring it down. Revealing his energy in school would be the worst possible scenario. Anything… ANYTHING would be better than this!

"G-Gohan?"

_What? _Gohan's attention snapped to the door of the classroom. _It couldn't be…_

There, in a blue Chinese style shirt and lavender pants, stood his kid brother.

"Goten?"

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Goten burst into tears and tore up the steps to throw himself into Gohan's arms.

"Woah!" Gohan caught Goten out of the air and held him tightly. "Calm down there squirt. I gotcha." The excess ki rolled off Gohan in waves, focused on calming the smaller saiyan. For once that day, Gohan felt relief.

The school principal trudged in the classroom, panting. "Mr. Son! I take it this is your brother?"

"Yes sir."

"Well this little guy was found wandering the school!" The principal scratched his balding head. "No idea how he got in here. In any case, we've got to call your parents and get him home!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Goten wailed. "I don't w-wanna go home! I j-just found you Gohan! I'm n-not leaving!" He cried harder, burrowing his face into Gohan's shoulder.

"Shhh…" Gohan looked to his teacher. "Would you please excuse us for a moment?" Goten peeked out from over Gohan's shoulder to give a very teary eyed puppy dog stare.

The teacher looked from the teen to the principal and back. She let out a deep sigh. "I suppose so. But be sure that he stays with you Mr. Son. I don't want a big scandal out of this!"

"No ma'am, thank you ma'am." He looked at the little boy in his arms. "C'mon squirt. Let's get you cleaned up." He strode down the stairs and into the hallway. As he walked to the bathroom, Goten's crying stopped. Gohan plopped his brother on the edge of the bathroom sink and folded his arms over his chest.

"Alright you little faker. Spill it."

Goten grinned. All traces of sadness gone. "Did I do a good job? Trunks said I still needed to practice."

"You little sneak!"

"So I did do good!" Goten giggled. "Eat it Trunks!"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here Goten? You know you're not supposed to visit me at school."

"I know I know." Goten looked down shyly. "But I sensed your energy acting all weird. I was worried you were in trouble."

"In trouble?"

"Yeah… it was like before. It kept going up and down. Kinda like when the lightning hit you." Tears, real ones, formed in Goten's eyes. "I didn't want you to get hurt again."

_Oh. _He smiled gently. "Yeah, I guess I was in a bit of trouble there for a while." _If Goten hadn't shown up when he did, there's no telling what might've happened._

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Gohan put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, I could use your help." _Why not? The school day isn't that much longer._

"Really?" Goten stood up on the sink, tears forgotten. "Awesome!"

"But!"

"Awwww…" Goten sat back down. "There's always some stupid butt."

"Yerp. Alwaysh shome shtupid buuuuhtt." He grinned when Goten giggled. "If you are going to stay at school with me, there's going to be some rules. First off, no talking about how we're saiyans or how we train."

"Aww."

"Second, no talking about or using your powers in school."

"Awww!"

"Third, no talking about how I'm saiyaman or the gold fighter."

"But you're the coolest ever Gohan! I gotta defend your honor!"

Gohan chuckled. "Fine. You can defend my honor."

"Yessss."

"And above all, no pranks. And I mean none at all!"

Goten pouted briefly. "Trunks is the one who does all that."

"But you help him." Gohan's expression became stern. "You have to promise on those terms."

The little saiyan crossed his heart and held up his right hand. "I promise."

"Good." Gohan smiled again at his little brother. "I've been having trouble keeping my ki low today. So we're gonna work together to keep me from going crazy, alright?"

"Alright!"

They returned to the classroom. Goten held on to the back of Gohan's pant leg shyly as Gohan addressed the principal. "Sorry sir, but he doesn't want to leave. Honestly, I'd feel much more comfortable if I were just to take him home with me at the end of the day. We live so far out that I don't feel right about letting him go himself."

The principal sputtered a bit, but eventually agreed. Gohan's teacher sighed melodramatically. "Just… make sure he stays quiet."

Gohan led Goten back to his seat and together they finished off the class period.

* * *

"Oh aren't you just the cutest little guy!"

Goten hid behind Gohan shyly as Erasa advanced on him. Gohan chuckled and ruffled the boy's messy black hair. "Goten, these are my friends. Erasa, Sharpner, and Videl. Guys, this is my little brother Goten."

Erasa squealed as Goten waved from behind his brother's leg. "Your brother is just adorable! He's going to be quite the lady killer when he grows up."

"But I don't wanna kill no ladies." Goten whispered hurriedly into Gohan's ear.

"She just means that all the girls will try to kiss you." Gohan whispered back. The disgusted face Goten pulled filled him with mirth.

"Yuck! I don't want kisses! Girls have cooties!"

Erasa giggled. "Oh, we're not all that bad." Goten looked at her skeptically. "You'll figure it out when you grow up to be big and strong like Gohan."

That brought out a beaming grin from the boy. "Really? I'm gonna be like Gohan when I get bigger? Alright!" He puffed his chest out proudly. "Gohan is the strongest in the universe!"

Videl smiled. _Cute kid._ She leaned over to the pair. "You really think he's the strongest? What about Spiderman?"

Goten's face grew serious. "Gohan is WAY stronger!"

"Superman?"

"Stronger!"

"How about Saiyaman?"

Goten paused. He put a hand to his chin in an adorable look of concentration. Videl waited for his answer, noticing that Gohan was suddenly very tense. "I think they're about the same."

"The same?"

"Yeah-huh." Goten motioned Videl closer. He whispered loudly into her ear. "Because Gohan is secretly…" He trailed off, looking at Gohan.

"Saiyaman? Gohan is secretly Saiyaman?" Videl laughed. "Sure he is." She joked.

"You bet!" Goten beamed. "Gohan is the strongest there is!"

Gohan facepalmed. "Please don't tell people that Goten." He said, mortified.

"It's true though!" Goten pouted. "You are super strong!"

"I can believe that." Sharpner said. He scooted his chair closer to the group. Goten looked at him questioningly.

"What happened to your arm?"

Sharpner looked from the cast to Gohan. "I broke it on your brother's face." Videl quirked an eyebrow at Sharpner. He ignored her look.

"Oooh. Yeah, that would hurt alright."

Sharpner grinned. "Is your brother made of steel or something?"

Goten opened his mouth, but quickly shut it at a look from Gohan. He shrugged. "Or somethin'." He said.

Videl's eyes narrowed at Gohan briefly. _What is he hiding? I've got to question his kid brother._ She watched as Gohan caught Goten up in a bear hug and tickled him. The childish peals of laughter got everyone smiling. "Let's talk about something else. Break only lasts so long." Erasa giggled. "Do you have any more siblings Goten?"

"Nope. It's just me and Gohan." Goten squirmed out of Gohan's grip. "I don't think mom wants any more kids."

_That reminds me… _Videl looked over at Gohan curiously. "Hey Gohan, did you ever sort that stuff out with your mom?"

"I… I haven't yet." Gohan said haltingly. "I ended up staying at a friend's house last night. Mom really chewed me out for it too."

Videl felt a pang of sympathy. "Oh. I'm sorry about that Gohan." The teen shrugged and took his seat at the desk again. His face strangely dark.

Goten watched him. He moved over and placed himself on Gohan's lap. Looking up at his older brother, concern apparent in his eyes, he asked, "Are you still angry with mom? Cuz Trunk's mom talked to her and she started crying."

Gohan's face softened. "No. I'm not angry with mom anymore."

"Are you still gonna come home?"

He hugged his little brother gently. "Yeah, I'm going to come home."

Videl's heart clenched in her chest. _That… I wish I had someone like that. To look forward to you coming home. _She watched the siblings quietly. Gohan's face softened, losing its sorrowful visage. Goten relaxed into his brother's embrace, face calm and serene. It was an odd picture to see in school. Usually siblings couldn't stop fighting long enough to relax like that. Gohan… looked really mature. Videl caught herself. _Dangerous thoughts Videl. _The moment was broken by Goten's stomach rumbling noisily. Videl laughed. "Hungry much? Sounds like you have an appetite to rival your brother's."

Goten grinned at Videl. "I can eat WAY more than Gohan can!"

Gohan pushed him off his lap. "No way! I can eat 10 times as much as you can Goten!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

Goten's stomach growled again. Videl smiled. "C'mon kid. Let's go get a snack. There's a vending machine near the office." Goten smiled broadly and followed Videl out into the hallway.

When they reached the vending machine, Videl asked, "What snack do you want?" Goten looked up and down the machine, face intense.

"All of them!"

Videl laughed. "I'm only getting you one, kid!"

Goten sighed. "O-kay. Can I have the cookies please?"

She nodded, smiling. As soon as the bag was in Goten's hands, the cookies were inhaled. Crumbs flecked the corners of Goten's mouth as he munched happily. Videl felt her heart grow light at the sight. Something about this kid made her irrationally happy. He seemed so carefree. Full of innocence and energy. She bent down and swiped his cheeks off with her hem of her shirt. "You're one messy kid, you know that?"

Goten grinned. "Yeah, mom said that we're all like that."

"I bet." _Now's my chance! _"Say Goten, could you tell me a little more about Gohan?"

Goten looked up at her curiously. "Like what?"

"How does he get to school every day?"

"Why'd you wanna know that?" Goten shrugged. "He flies."

"How?"

"On nimbus I think." Goten put a hand to his chin. "Maybe not. He said I could use nimbus now. I guess he just flies himself."

_Nimbus huh? Must be a new model of jetplane. _"Well, how come he's always so… uptight?" Videl waved her hands in the air. "He doesn't spend a lot of time with everyone else around here you know."

"Really? Gohan's not uptight! He's the most funnest, bestest brother ever!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Goten beamed up at her. "We go exploring all the time! We go fishing and dinosaur hunting and sparring and hiking and-"

_Hold up._ "Sparring?" Videl looked at him suspiciously. "Like for martial arts?"

Goten's eyes grew wide. He clapped his hands over his mouth and shook his head. "Mmmf mmrf mmmmmffff ffffmmm!"

Videl frowned. "What?"

"Mmmf mmrf mmmmmffff ffffmmm!"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"

Goten took his hands away from his mouth. "I can't tell you!" He said before clapping his hands firmly back over his clap-trap.

Videl was surprised. This usually didn't happen. "Are you sure?"

Goten nodded. "I promised." He said from between his fingers.

"What if I buy you another snack?"

Lowering his hands from his mouth, the six year old looked longingly at the vending machine. He tore his eyes from the snacks and shook his spiky head firmly. "Sorry. I promised I wouldn't tell."

Videl, though frustrated at Goten for refusing to answer her question, felt her respect for Gohan grow. _He must be some kind of big brother to have a kid this great look up to him. _She smirked down at the 6 year old. "You really love him, doncha?"

Goten nodded, smiling shyly. Videl took his hand and together they started back towards the classroom. Abruptly, Goten stopped dead, jerking Videl back. His face had turned oddly curious. "Uhmm… Miss Videl…"

"It's just Videl."

"Oh. Uh… Videl?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like my brother?" (OOOOH!)

Videl froze. _WHAT._ "What?! No!" _I don't like him! Not like that! I mean, he's just a classmate who's really nice and charming and… _ Her face flamed up. "I don't like your brother! Why would you ask me that?!"

"Well, mom says if you like someone, you wanna get to know them better."

"What… But I…" _I don't like him! Nonononono! I just…_ She waved her hands in a flustered way."No! He's hiding something and as the city's crime fighter, I must find out what it is!"

"Woah! You fight crime like Saiyaman does?" Goten looked up at her, eyes filled with stars. "That's so cool!"

"That's beside the point!" Videl stomped her foot. "I don't like Gohan! I just want to find out if he's a danger to the city!"

Goten tilted his head to the side, looking at her. She stared back into bright eyes. After a minute of staring, Goten nodded and waved her closer. Curious, Videl bent down to hear him whisper in her ear.

"Don't worry Videl. He's one of the good guys."

* * *

"Gohan, I'm so boooooooooored."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to stay here. No complaining."

"But you know all this stuff already. Can't we just go home now?"

"We have to wait until the school day is over. This is the last class for today."

Goten leaned back in the chair. The six year old was itching to do something just as bad as Gohan had been earlier. He looked down at the drawing he'd been working on and sighed. It never looked as good as Gohan's drawings. He wondered if Gohan would thumb wrestle him. He then wondered what it would be like to have to eat nothing but pickles all your life. He even wondered how it would feel to be turned into a frog. Probably just as boring as school.

"Maaaaan." Goten pouted in his seat. "I thought school was supposed to be fun."

Gohan sighed. "You and me both squirt." Having Goten around had been a huge relief. Yeah answering nonstop questions at first was a little annoying, but he was a breath of fresh air that cut through the monotony of the day. With his boundless energy, Goten's mere presence calmed Gohan down. He was able to focus again on his energy and kept it under normal limits.

Didn't make class any less boring though.

"Okay class! I have a special assignment for you all!" The teacher exclaimed, breaking Gohan's reverie. "I want you to pick an individual from the cell games to write a report on."

Gohan stared blankly at the teacher. "What."

"Out of the people who were there, write a report on how they were involved in the defeat of Cell." The teacher said. "Although we know that Mr. Satan was the one to defeat that monster, I still want everyone to explain in a 2 page paper about how the individual of your choice in the Cell games was successful or unsuccessful in killing Cell. This is to get your minds ready for the big assembly we will have on Friday to celebrate Satan Day."

_She's being serious?! _Gohan's body tensed. "You've got to be kidding me." His teeth ground together audibly. "What kind of … crap assignment…"

Goten looked up at his brother questioningly. "What's the lady talking about?" he whispered, "Didn't you defeat Cell?"

"She thinks..." Gohan ground out, voice soft for fear of others hearing, "that Mr. Satan defeated Cell." _And that we, who put our lives on the line, were clowns._ His fists clenched. _I… I can't let myself get angry._ "But it's not a bad thing… It's just he said that…" His ki rose. "… that dad was…"

"Daddy?" Goten tilted his head. "Daddy died then, right?"

"Yeah…" Gohan's ki rose further. "Dad died that day." _I… I can't do this. I'm not… going to snap in school today! Goten… _He turned so swiftly, a gust of wind flew faintly from the motion. "Goten. I need you to do something for me."

"What?" Goten backed up slightly. Gohan was a little too worked up.

"Hit me."

"R-really?"

"Hit me as hard as you can." The teen's energy was growing wildly. _This is the only way for me to regain sense!_ Gohan silently begged. "Please Goten!" He whispered urgently.

"Uh… if you say so." Goten lowered his little fist beneath the desk and sent all his energy to it. It fairly glowed with power. "Get ready, Gohan!"

Now, it should be noted that while Goten was fairly strong, Gohan had been suppressing violent urges for a while now. So when a particularly powerful punch was sent at him, everything went haywire. Time itself froze for an instant.

Gohan saw the punch coming. He wanted to move. So badly did he want it that every fiber of his being cried out for movement. Protect yourself! Prove you are stronger than this!

Block it!

Dodge it!

DO SOMETHING!

But he didn't budge. _I… must be stronger than these… impulses._ Gohan watched the punch move in slow motion towards him. He struggled with his urges furiously as it grew nearer. As it connected, Gohan had a sudden clarity.

… _This was a bad idea._

It hit the side of his face with a dull thud. Instantly all his heightened ki to rushed to the spot. As a result, his little' brother's hand flew away from his head like a pinball. The six year old wheeled his arms comically before toppling to the floor with a clatter.

The class was startled from its semi-aware state. "Mr. Son!" The teacher exclaimed, irritated. "I told you to keep control of your brother!"

Gohan, however, wasn't paying attention. The teen saiyan's brain was awash with adrenaline. _This is… a challenge? He's… challenging me? I… I have to answer. _Slowly he rose to his feet and assumed a battle stance.

"MR. SON!"

Startled, Gohan was brought back to earth. He looked in awe at his younger brother. That punch carried much more power than he'd expected. It completely overwhelmed his sense of propriety. Gohan was about to challenge his kid brother all because of a punch!

"S-sorry ma'am. It won't happen again." Gohan lifted Goten to his lap. _Kami's underpants! _He looked down at his little brother with evident relief. _I nearly decked Goten! I've GOT to find this limit before this gets any worse!_ "Thanks Goten." He whispered.

Goten, slightly confused, nodded and whispered, "You're welcome."

The saiyan teen avoided curious stares from his classmates and looked down to his notes. Luckily deflecting the punch had lowered his ki enough to manage it for the remainder of the class period. _If it hadn't been for Goten…_ He shook his head. _No… I've got to focus on how to write this stupid assignment._ His brow furrowed. _… I'll write about… the delivery boy I guess._ Gohan grinned wryly. _I've got to write an assignment on myself. Go figure._ He glanced at Goten who was falling asleep on his lap. _Poor kid. And to think he might have to go through this one day._ He sighed deeply and started writing his essay.

Goten woke to the sound of the bell. The brothers said goodbye to their classmates and headed up to the roof. Videl started to follow them, but got roped into going to the mall again with Erasa. Kami bless that ditzy blonde.

Gohan looked to Goten. Still shaking off his sleepiness, the boy tottered up the stairs to the rooftop. _He's helped me out a lot today… I should do something for him._ Gohan thought to himself for a moment. _Aha!_

"Hey Goten," he said as they reached the roof, "how'd you like to fly home today?"

"I was gonna use nimbus," Goten yawned sleepily, "but you can carry me if you want."

"No squirt, I mean you flying yourself home."

"Really?!" Goten was suddenly wide awake. "You're gonna teach me how to fly?!"

Gohan grinned. "Yep."

"AWESOME!" Goten leaped about on the roof, overjoyed. "I'm gonna fly!"

Gohan caught him mid-air. "Woah! Settle down there squirt! I've got get us out of the city first." Switching on his saiyasuit, he lifted off the roof and into the air. Soon the boys were sailing towards the edge of the city.

Oh it felt so good to fly! The energy pent up inside him nearly burst out, shooting him faster towards his destination. Soon, too soon he felt, Gohan landed in a small clearing a short distance from a few houses on the outskirts of town.

"Okay Goten," he set his brother down on the grass, "flying is all about energy manipulation. You have to keep a steady flow of it to stay in the air." Goten nodded excitedly. "Remember to use your energy."

Goten started hopping up and down. Up and down. Up and down.

Gohan frowned beneath his helmet. "No no Goten! Use your _energy_."

"Oh." Goten stilled. Concentration covered his face. Slowly he lifted into the air. He smiled broadly. "Look! Look Gohan! I'm flying!" He wobbled unsteadily in the air.

"Great job Goten! Keep it steady!"

"Don't worry Gohan! I've go-" Goten fell to the ground with a bump. "AWW!"

"Hey now! Not bad for your first try." Gohan encouraged. "Try it again!"

Teary, Goten rose to his feet to try again. This time he flew a little higher and began flying in a slow circle. Gohan tracked his progress and readied himself to catch him.

He didn't have to.

Without warning, Goten shot up into the sky. Gohan was a little startled, but recovered and flew up after Goten. When he caught up with his little brother, Goten was giggling and laughing uproariously. Gohan joined him in laughing and together they flew round and round each other in random patterns.

"This is so awesome!" Goten squealed.

Gohan nodded, but didn't say anything. Grinning madly, he flew up next to his brother and spun him about in the air. When he let go, the force of the spin sent the boy flying ever higher. Goten screamed happily, not slowing until he had reached the peak of his flight. He allowed himself to fall back to Gohan before righting himself with his ki.

"Come on bro. Let's go home." Gohan said, smiling. And together they flew back to Mt. Paozu. Looping and playing all the way. The time they shared here would be remembered throughout their lives. Memories of fun, laughter, and the brotherly love they shared. Gohan felt something stir again deep in his chest as he played with his little brother. A power lurked within him and Goten had something to do with it. He could just feel it.

However, he didn't have time to explore this notion. They, having been flying for quite a while now, had ended up above their home. With one final whoop, Goten plunged back to earth at alarming speeds. Gohan watched him fall into the arms of someone he'd dreaded talking to for the past two days. He landed softly and walked up to the pair. Switching off his saiyasuit, he looked into dark eyes that closely resembled his own.

"Hi Mom."

* * *

I feel like a jerk, bein' all cliffhangy and whatnot. :3

Also, Videl has feelings for Gohan? WHAAAAAAT?  
SUCH NONSENSE. How will this ever come about?

You've probably guessed, but I have a special love for kid Goten. The whole saiyan family dynamic makes me smile.  
Also, Gohan has a face that breaks bones. Best face is best.

READ AND REVIEW funtimes for all!


	12. Confrontations and Car Chases

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own DBZ or any characters therein, but I'd love to own a saiyan chia-pet. Thinking about Vegeta having a fro makes me smile.

Ch. 12: Confrontations and Car Chases

* * *

Videl sat on a bench outside the center city mall, absorbed in her thoughts. She'd come outside after Erasa had wandered off into the building somewhere. They'd been shopping since school let out! Sharpner had gone home right after school to recover a little bit. He had a rough day after all. He'd violently declined to go shopping with them and Videl hadn't the heart to force him along. But finally Videl was left alone with her thoughts. She gladly took the opportunity to relax in the warm sunshine.

The raven haired girl sighed. _What a strange day. First Sharpner breaks his arm for some reason, then Gohan's little brother shows up and refuses to tell me anything._ She leaned back on the bench. _Now I'm stuck at the mall, bored out of my mind. I wish someone had agreed to come along with me. Heck I'd even be happy if Gohan…_

_Augh. _She shook her head, blushing slightly. _I can't believe that I got all flustered after Goten asked me about Gohan. It's not like I… I mean I don't really… _Videl let out another frustrated sigh. _What a mess. Stupid Gohan had to be all secretive and now I'm actually considering... Darn it! I've got better things to worry about than some stupid boy! Like finding out about the Gold Fighter and discovering who Saiyaman really is._

_But it's strange…_

Videl stared up at the clear blue sky. _How could Sharpner have broken his arm with a blow like that? It was completely on accident! If anything, Gohan should've been the one in the hospital. Even though Sharpner isn't the strongest guy in school, he can hold his own in the boxing ring. It doesn't make any sense._ The crime fighter's brows furrowed. _He didn't even know how it happened. He just mumbled something and ignored me. Like he didn't expect me to believe that Gohan really did cause the injury._

_Come to think of it, didn't Erasa say something about Gohan earlier? _Videl sat up straighter on the bench. _She said he was actually really strong. Something about the punching game we played earlier. Sharpner agreed with her, though he didn't say anything about the punching game._ She put a hand to her chin._ Even Goten said something about how his brother is the strongest in the world. But he's just a little kid. He doesn't really know about strength, right?_

Videl glanced absent-mindedly towards the mall. _I wonder if Gohan actually does a little bit of martial arts on the side. It would certainly explain why Erasa might think he's strong. His brother hinted at sparring earlier. Maybe he trains or something. But, that's not something people would normally hide._

She relaxed back into the bench. _There's got to be something I'm missing here._ Videl thought to herself. _Gohan is hiding it from me… What if he's secretly as strong as Erasa claimed? If he was…and he was hiding it from her… that would be like saying he's kinda like Sai-_

BREEEEP*BREEEEEEP*BREEEEEP

Videl hit the communicator button on her watch. "Go ahead chief!"

"Videl! There's been a break in at 47th street! The thieves are headed toward 49th and main in one of the new jetcars! We can't catch them!"

Videl stood from the bench and de-capsuled her jetcopter. "I'm on my way chief!" As she flew away, she made a mental note to revisit this topic later. This was no time for musing on mysterious boys, but she felt like she was onto something.

_Gohan is just another guy at school…_

_Right?_

* * *

"Hello Gohan."

_She's been crying._ Gohan looked into Chichi's eyes, concerned. "Mom are you-"

"Come on now boys." She put Goten down on the ground. "You can tell me all about learning how to fly over dinner. I've just finished making it." A smile plastered itself on her face. "It's all set up on the table."

"Mom."

"Come on now." She moved to go inside. "It'll get cold if we wait."

"Mom, wait just a second. There's something I-"

"I made your favorite dishes too! You'll really love the pasta."

"Mom, I really need to-"

"Hurry up now! You boys must be very-"

"Mom!" Gohan's voice thundered over hers, silencing her. He set a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Please, we need to talk."

Chichi hesitated, but nodded. The false smile dropped from her face. Turning away, she gently pushed Goten through the door, mumbling about getting washed up. She closed the door behind him and slowly turned to face her eldest son.

"Yes?"

Gohan took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "Mom. Before I start, promise me that you will wait till the end to speak." He raised his hand, forestalling her protests. "I have to say this and I need you to listen. So please… hear me out."

"I… am not normal. I can't ever be normal." He sighed. "I'm tired of trying to _be_ normal. Please understand that I am trying my best to live up to your expectations for me. I know that you only want what's best for me and believe me I appreciate it, but I can't do it anymore! I can't be your perfect little boy!"

He ran a hand through his jet black hair tiredly. "When you said that you wanted a normal family… I lost it. I'm sure that if I didn't leave then, things would've gotten bad. I'm sorry for that. I can't help what is happening to me, but please believe me when I say it's not a bad thing. I am learning to accept and appreciate my background and all that I have been given."

Gohan's eyes fell to the ground. His fists clenched. "What I'm going through is not a joke. It's serious. It's important to me and I need you to get that! It is a part of who I am. Please. I need you to accept this. To accept me for me. I am my father's son!"

He paused for a moment. Unsure of himself, Gohan looked up.

And his heart broke.

Chichi stood before her firstborn, tears pouring down her face. She trembled slightly from the effort it took not to sob openly. Her eyes stared back at him, full of sadness and regret.

Ladies and gentlemen, you should never make your mother cry. Not only is it a terrible thing to incur upon one who had borne you, but your heart will break in a way it never has before.

"I… I…" Chichi covered her face with her hands. "I… was so af-fraid that you had l-left."

Gohan, despite feeling an almost overwhelming surge of empathy, looked aghast at her. "Mom, I would never just run away!"

"I know… And I over-reacted. I'm so, so very sorry I m-made you feel that way Gohan." She sobbed out gently. "Buh-but I was… s-so scared that… You w-wouldn't come back…" She looked back at her son. "Your… your father d-didn't…."

_Oh._

_Oh no._

Gohan moved close to her. He rested his forehead against hers as he spoke. "Mom, I am my father's son, but I am also your son." His voice carried all the compassion he held in his heart. How could he have been so selfish? His mother had raised two saiyan boys all by herself. She must have been so frightened. So alone…

"G-Gohan," Chichi embraced her son, "I'm s-sorry. So very sorry!" She started crying openly. "I never meant for you to feel this way! I never m-meant to drive you away! I only w-wanted to make sure that you would have a future! I love you so much… I d-don't want you to die fighting to save the world!"

_Oh Mom, is that what this is all about?_ Gohan took her face in his hands gently. "Mom, you don't have to worry about me. You know me, don't you? You really think I'd just leave like that?" She shook her head and he smiled gently. "I am my own person. And as far as dying goes, you know the dragon balls can bring me back if anything happens."

Chichi smiled shakily. "I know… but it's my job to worry about you." She scrubbed at her eyes, trying to tuck back the hair that escaped her bun. "When Bulma called, I assumed the worst. S-she really gave me a talking to. I understand now that this is something that you need to go through. I suppose I just d-didn't want you to grow up. Oh Gohan, I want to support you through this. Can you please forgive me?"

Gohan pulled his mother back into a bear hug. "I forgive you mom." His heart, though heavy for his mother, relaxed. The burden of being unaccepted lifted from his shoulders. Gohan once again felt secure.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing.

They stood there a long while. Finally, Chichi broke off the embrace with a huff. "Look at me! All teary eyed over the thought of you growing up." She shook herself and looked him up and down. "And those clothes! Don't tell me you borrowed them from Bulma!"

_Same old mom. _Gohan smiled sheepishly. "Ah, well, they were ones that didn't fit Vegeta so…"

"I see! Well, we'll just have them laundered and sent back." Chichi folded her arms over her chest. "And don't tell me that you've been slacking off with your schoolwork!"

"Uh…"

"That's it! Tonight you are working on your schoolwork! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!"

"Aww mom!"

"No complaining! Oh!" She dashed to the door. "Goten! You better not have eaten all the food!"

Gohan heard yelling and the sounds of running in the small house. Chuckling he headed inside. Stepping over the threshold, he deftly reached down and caught Goten by the back of his shirt. The boy had cheeks full of food and was carrying a bowl of pasta.

"Going somewhere?"

Chichi rounded the corner, broom in hand. "GOTEN!"

The six year old let out a muffled squeal and lifted into the air. He sped out the door and was soon lost to sight. Chichi stormed outside waving the broom about. "You get back here right now young man! RIGHT NOW or so help me you'll be grounded to the house FOR A WEEK!" Turning to Gohan, she threw her arms up in exasperation. "You just HAD to teach him to fly! GREAT. Just peachy!"

"Aww, he'll be back before sundown." Gohan chuckled. "No worries mom."

"How can you be so relaxed about this?! He ate all the dinner I had prepared!"

"…" Gohan powered up instantaneously. "GOTEN!" Gohan was off like a shot, causing a wind that buffeted his mother roughly. He was hungry, Kami dang it! Speeding through the forest, the saiyan teen found that he didn't even have to focus on Goten's ki. For some reason he knew where his brother would be. The teenage saiyan could smell the pasta in the air, hear the wind blowing from the boy's flight, and feel the life energy faintly pulsing in time with his own.

He didn't realize that his senses were slowly sharpening.

"Gotcha you little squirt!" Gohan snatched the pasta bowl from Goten's unsuspecting hands. Goten had been sitting atop a pine tree in the forest on the other side of the mountain. "Thought you could get away with this pa-" Gohan's voice trailed off as he took in the empty bowl. "-aww… Goten, how could you?" His face was the perfect picture of dejection. "Even after I taught you how to fly and everything."

"Sorry big brother." Goten sheepishly looked at his toes. "I was really, really hungry."

"Yeah well, so am I."

"I'm sorry Gohan! Really I am!" Gohan gave the puppy-dog eyes. "Please don't let mom kill me?"

Gohan shook his head at the boy. "That won't work on me squirt! Mom's already grounded you to the house."

"Maaaaaan…"

"Serves you right! You know better than to…" Gohan was suddenly interrupted by a series of gunshots.

The boys looked in the direction of the sound. "What was that?" Goten asked curiously.

Gohan's eyes narrowed. "Those were gunshots."

"Oh… Hey Gohan, what're gunshots?"

"They're a type of weapon. I'll tell you more about it later okay?" Gohan looked back to his kid brother. "Goten, I think someone might be in trouble. I'm going to go check it out. Go back to mom and help her clean up the mess you made, alright?"

"Aww. Can't I come with you?"

"Nope. You're still in trouble squirt!" _That and I don't think anyone would appreciate being saved by a six year old._

"Maaaan…"

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least you get to fly home by yourself."

A smile lit up Goten's face. The boy nodded and took to the air, surging through the wind like he didn't just learn about flying a few hours ago.

The dark eyed teen switched his saiyasuit on and pulled the visor down on his helmet. A gunfight this close to home was never a good thing. _I'd better to stop this before it gets too close to home. _He lifted into the air and blasted towards the sounds. On the way, he noticed a very familiar energy signal.

… _Videl?_

* * *

The car careened crazily around the side of the cliff. It's tires barely keeping contact with the pavement. It raced even faster as it went. Heedless of the danger of such speeds on the cliffside.

"Freaking crazy idiots!" Videl shouted as her jetcopter struggled to keep up. _Do these guys not care that they are inches from death?!_ The new hovercraft was equipped with NOS infusers. Though how it could use NOS while hovering made little sense to the crime fighter. It was sleek in design and very expensive. Why did they steal the most expensive car on the market? HOW did they steal the most expensive car on the market?! Was there any security there at all?!

_Doesn't matter! I just have to stop them before they get killed. _Videl narrowed her eyes at the gun wielding criminals. _Or get away from me._ (sort out your priorities much?)

The chase led her and several of the faster cop cars on a wild rampage across the city before giving way to the countryside. Hoping to lose the fuzz in the twists and turns of the back roads, the robbers had ended up in the mountains. Videl was the only one who was able to keep a sight on them from the air. She followed them for over an hour, trying to get close enough to take them out. Unfortunately, the guns they had kept her from getting within punching range. The bullet holes that lined her cockpit were proof enough of that.

Videl bit her lip and watched her fuel gage sink lower and lower. _Is there no way to out-run them?!_ She'd be out of gas before they stopped at all! Her grip tightened on the throttle, pushing it further past safe speeds.

Two nail biting turns later and they were plowing through the forest and into open fields. Birds scattered at the passing of jetcar and jetcopter. Animals ran for their lives. Briefly, the car swerved to avoid hitting a dinosaur who was scampering out of the way.

_NOW! _Videl pushed her copter to the maximum speed. Suddenly, she was above them! Unfortunately, the men in the car below saw her coming and started shooting. Bullets flew for only a few moments before the lead driver leaned over and hit the NOS.

Videl had just set the autopilot, when a blue flame erupted from the back of the jetcar. It shot forward with a loud _fwoosh_ and was out of reach of the crime fighter.

Videl let out a stream of obscenities as the car got further and further away from her. _No! They're getting away! _She focused on the road ahead of them, searching for an out. Something that would give her an edge.

There was a man in the middle of the road.

Videl's eyes widened. "LOOK OUT!" She screamed. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" A civilian casualty was the worst possible side effect to a crime. _I can't go faster! _Videl panicked. _He's going to get hit! I can't save him!_

The criminals in the car didn't seem to care. Videl could see them laughing, driving faster toward the figure on the road. She felt her spirit get crushed with the regret of not being able to save the man. The car reached him and she forced herself to witness his death.

Suddenly the car vanished. The man in the road stood there nonchalantly as could be. Completely unharmed.

Unable to stop herself, Videl rushed by the figure on the road. She caught a glimpse of the figure and recognized him immediately.

_Saiyaman!_

The physics in play with the jetcopter's path of movement must have sensed Videl's feelings, because the copter turned on a dime and shot back to Saiyaman's side. She powered the craft down, leaping out of the vehicle in a fury fit for a volcanic eruption.

"You JERK!"

Saiyaman turned. "Hello, Miss Videl. Didn't think to see you here today."

"Can it, Saiya-dork!" She shoved her finger in his face. "What did you think you were doing?! You could've been killed just now!" She got closer to him, storming angrily. "I thought you were a normal civilian! You had me worried sick! You IN-sensitive, WORTHLESS, piece of sh-"

"Hey now!" Saiyaman interrupted indignantly. "I was just helping you catch a car thief! No need to get mean about it!"

"Catching a car thief?! You didn't catch them! You killed them!"

"No I didn't!" Saiyaman pointed to the sky. "They're right there."

Videl looked up. Her eyes bugged out to the sight of the jetcar freefalling straight towards them. She let out a rather girlish shriek as she covered her head and closed her eyes tightly. A few tense seconds later, Videl opened her eyes tentatively.

There stood Saiyaman holding the jetcar above his head singlehandedly.

"See Miss Videl?" She could hear the smirk in his stupid, _stupid_ superhero voice. "Caught."

Videl was momentarily speechless. "Huh." She watched him lower the now motionless car to the ground. Taking note that the robbers were unconscious inside, she shook off her shock. The female crime fighter moved over quickly and confiscated the guns, taking the time to check the pulse of each thief.

"Don't worry, they're only knocked out." Saiyaman reassured her. He moved over to the car and pointed to the NOS tank that sat in the center of the car, covered with a fancy armrest. "NOS is commonly used in anesthesia. When I tossed the car, I was able to puncture the tank. They breathed in a small amount of it and when combined with the sudden change in air pressure, it effectively rendered them unconscious."

Videl raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you were such a brainiac."

Saiyaman lifted an arm to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Well, we superheroes have to know all about how to take down a criminal after all..."

"Ahuh." Videl watched him closely. He seemed… familiar all of the sudden. "Thanks… I guess. Anyway, could you tie up these guys for me? I need to radio headquarters with our location."

"Oh! Ah… sure!" Saiyaman reached down and pulled a man from the car. He walked over to a nearby tree and propped him up against it.

Videl watched him for a moment. Noticing the rippling of muscles in his arms. Shaking her head, and blushing slightly, she switched on her watch communicator. "Chief! This is Videl. I have apprehended the thieves. I am not sure of my exact location, so use the signal from my communicator to find me." She received the affirmative and switched off the microphone, leaving the watch's signal on.

The raven haired girl walked up behind Saiyaman just as he finished tying the criminals to the tree. "So… What're you doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere? I thought you were a city only guy."

He turned around to face Videl, sunshine glinting off his helmet. "Ah, well you see…" he began sheepishly, "I wanted a little break. That explosion at the bank really gave me a bad headache, so I decided to come out to the country for a few days to, ah … get some air."

_Lame._ "And how, pray tell, did you know that I was chasing some crooks?"

"I heard gunshots and decided to investigate."

"Sure you did." Videl looked at him skeptically. _This guy just likes to follow me around doesn't he?_

"It's the truth!" He gestured to the countryside surrounding them. "Why else would I be way out here?"

"Maybe you live out here."

He flinched before denying the accusation. "What?! No!"

"Reeeeeally?" Videl marched up to him and looked him in the eye. "I don't think you've been telling me the truth oh _Great Saiyaman_. I won't believe a word out of your mouth until you reveal who you really are."

"Ah… y-you know I can't do that." Saiyaman moved away slightly. Videl then realized how close she'd been standing to the superhero. The proximity made her very self aware, so she allowed him to back off. "M-my true identity must never be revealed! It's the only way to keep my family safe!"

"Sure." Videl scoffed. "But let me remind you that family or no, I _will_ find out who you are."

Saiyaman sighed lightly. "I know. You are as stubborn as they come."

Videl smirked. "Better believe it baby."

"Well then," the superhero chuckled, "I guess that wraps it up for me." He gave her a two fingered salute before lifting into the air. "I'll be seeing you, Miss Videl!"

_Snap! _"Wait a second Saiyaman!" Videl called out, catching a hold of his ankle. "There's something I have to ask you."

He stopped his flight. Careful not to land on Videl, he floated back to the ground. "What is it?" He asked.

_I might not get another chance if I don't ask now._ Videl took a deep breath._ Here goes nothing._

"Would you set up a meeting with the Gold Fighter for me?"

Silence.

"W-what?" Saiyaman was obviously non-plussed. "You want… What makes you think I-"

"It's obvious that you know the guy." Videl forged on. "He always saves the day when you aren't around, he has the same powers as you, and he is definitely not from around here." She sighed. "I can't find any leads on him. He's a complete mystery. Please, I need your help to find him. You are the only connection I've got."

"B-but I don't…"

"Please Saiyaman." Videl looked up at him, honest to goodness pleading in her eyes. "I really want to talk with him. Not just to ask him questions, but to thank him." She looked down to the ground. "He saved my life. I never got the chance to give him my thanks."

Saiyaman stood awed. "I… I'm …"

"You're what?" She raised her head to stare at Saiyaman. "You're also the Gold Fighter? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"No! It's just that I…"

"You what? You don't want to do this because you don't trust me or something?!"

"No! No, I really…"

"Because it sounds like you don't want to do this for me!" Videl was getting frustrated. "It's not such a big deal now is it?!"

"No I just… I've …. Ugh!" Saiyaman threw his hands in the air. "FINE! I'll talk to him about it!" He put a hand to his helmet as if he had a headache. "I do know him, but he's kind of reclusive. I don't even know if he'll agree to talk to you."

"Tell him to meet me in the Satan City park later tonight." Videl smirked. "Tell him he'd better show up, or else."

"I don't think you're really in the position to-"

"Oh, he'll come." Videl got very close to the superhero. "You'll see to that. Right _Saiyaman_?"

The superhero paused. When he next spoke, his voice had dropped the superhero pretenses.

"You really want to thank him, huh?"

Videl was surprised to hear his real voice, muffled as it was. Ignoring her feelings of déjà-vu, Videl nodded.

Saiyaman let out a weary sigh. "I'll see what I can do."

_Yesssssss. _"Good." Videl made a shooing motion with her hand. "Now run along little superhero, before I arrest you for interfering with police work." She grinned. "See ya around, Saiyaman."

The superhero waved weakly and lifted away into the air.

* * *

"Crapbaskets." Gohan lamented on his flight home. "What am I going to do? Why does Videl want to meet so badly with the Gold Fighter? I bet she's got some kind of ulterior motive! After all, I could've told him thank you for her! I'm the Gold Fighter! Thanking myself is easy!"

"Hey Gold Fighter," Gohan said in his superhero voice, "Videl says 'thank you'!"

"Well that's very nice of her." He continued in a deeper false voice. "Tell her I said 'you're welcome'!"

He sighed. "She'd never buy it. She knows Saiyaman too well for that." Gohan ran a heavy hand through his hair. "I don't talk when I'm the Gold Fighter, so how is this going to work out? Could I get away with just showing up, accepting the thanks, and leaving?" He landed softly outside his home, inhaling deeply the delicious smells that emanated from his kitchen. His stomach rumbled loudly. _I'll think about this later. Time to eat!_

~After a good meal~

"Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!" Gohan lamented in his room. "What am I going to do?!" Eating usually cheered him up. Not this time. "I have to consider my options. One; I ditch. Don't show. Leave no answers." He started pacing back and forth in his small bedroom. "But Videl would never give up that easy. She'd hunt down the Gold Fighter with her last breath. If anything she would immediately accuse me of something or other and send Saiyaman to the top of the most wanted list."

Gohan flopped down on his bed. "Two; I go as Gold Fighter, get thanked by Videl and come back home. But Mom would never let me out of the house. Especially to meet some girl. She'd question me non-stop until I give her an answer of some kind. Besides, Videl is going to interrogate me. I just know it! If I spoke as the Gold Fighter, she'd know me right away! Cover blown! Secrets out! School life ruined!"

Gohan looked forlornly out the window. "I can't ask mom for advice right now. We just mended that whole bit of trouble. The last thing she needs to think about is another secret identity and a girl." He shuddered. "She'll instantly consider us dating and will plan the wedding." _But would that be such a bad thing?_ Gohan facepalmed. _Of course it would be! Videl hates… Well, she used to hate me. Actually, she has been really friendly to me lately. She's even been civil to Saiyaman._

_Earlier she said she was worried about me. I mean… about Saiyaman. _A gentle blush spread on his face. _She's… really a nice person aside from that front she puts up. I guess, apart from crime fighting, we might be considered friends?_

"Augh." The teen saiyan sat upright on his bed. "Now's not the time for that! I've got to figure out what to do about this situation!"

"What situation?"

Gohan turned to look through the doorway. "Goten! I thought you were grounded!"

"I am, but just to the house." The six year old folded his arms. "What situation?"

Gohan sighed. _Might as well._ "Videl wants to meet with the Gold Fighter tonight."

"Aren't you the Gold Fighter?

"Yeah, but Videl doesn't know that."

"Oh."

"I just wish I had someone to give me advice." _I can't ask Piccolo. He'd tell me to get out of this mess myself. Dende is too busy with Kami-things, Krillin lives too far away, and I'm not asking Yamucha. He has enough lady problems as it is._

"…"

"…"

"… Gohan, do you like Videl?"

"What?!" Gohan was startled from his thoughts. "I didn't … I mean I don't …" he stuttered before taking a deep breath. "What makes you ask?"

"Cuz you and her spend an awful lot of time together." Goten shrugged. "Trunk's mom said if you like someone, you wanna spend more time with them."

"Bulma said... AH!" Gohan stood up. "That's it! I'll go ask Bulma for advice!" He rushed past Goten and down the steps. _She'll know what to do!_

Chichi was startled to see her eldest son dash into the living room. "Gohan! Where are you…"

"SorryMomIhavetogotrainwithVegeta." He hollered before zooming out the front door.

"Wait!" Chichi shouted after him. "Did you finish your homework!?"

"Yes mom!" She heard him faintly. "I'll be back later tonight!"

"That boy." Chichi shook her head. "Always rushing off to one thing or another." She settled back on the sofa, book and tea in hand. None the wiser.

* * *

Videl stared at herself in the mirror. "I look stupid."

"More like adorable."

Videl glared daggers at her best friend. "I'm the one who beats criminals down, not some frilly crème puff!" She stripped out of the floozy dress.

"Oh c'mon Videl!" Erasa whined. "You're going to meet the hottest guy on a most romantic night and you don't want to dress up for it? You're no fun!"

"I'm not going to try to seduce the guy!" A fiery blush washed over her face. "I just want to thank him for saving my life a last week and ask him a few questions."

Erasa let out a huff. "Yeah, well dressing up is only going to help your cause. After all, what guy can say no to a pretty woman?" She lifted up another poofy looking dress. "You have to get in touch with your feminine side!"

"I don't have one!" Videl tossed the dress over her shoulder without a second thought.

"Yes you do!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"DO NOT!"

"Yes you do and Kami help me I'm going to get you to find it!" Erasa stormed out of the dressing room. Videl had returned to the mall to meet up with Erasa. She didn't want to ditch her friend. In her excitement, she unwittingly told Erasa the whole story. The blond friend then dragged her back into the mall to get the so called 'perfect outfit' for her 'romantic soiree'.

Videl angrily crossed her arms over her chest. _Why do I have to dress up? It's just a stupid meeting! I'm just going to thank him! Ask him a few questions if I can manage it. That's all!_ She glanced at herself in the mirror. _Besides, I think I look appealing just the way I am! No need to doctor me up!_

_But… __**he's**__ going to be there._ Videl shivered slightly. Piercing blue eyes, golden blond hair, strong jaw, rippling muscles…. _Maybe dressing up wouldn't be too terrible._

"Videl! I HAVE FOUND IT! The perfect outfit for you!" Erasa burst into the dressing room, arms piled high with clothing.

_Nope. _Videl groaned. _It's terrible._

* * *

"I don't know what to tell you, Gohan. This is your problem. You've got to work this out yourself."

"I know it's my problem, but what do you think I should do?"

"Just tell her the truth." Bulma smirked. "I'm sure she could take it."

"Are you kidding me? I just can't out and out tell her! Can you imagine the results?" He threw his hands in the air. "Oh hey Videl! I'm Mr. Gold Fighter, but I'm also Saiyaman! And just in case you were wondering, I'm also your classmate Son Gohan! Feel free to let EVERYONE KNOW! Oh, I'm also the Delivery Boy and the one who actually killed Cell! Your father is a liar, but that's okay because I'm a half alien from SPACE whose best friend is ALSO AN ALIEN FROM SPACE! Did I mention that I also have connections with KAMI who is ANOTHER SPACE ALIEN?! I didn't? Oh well, NOW YOU KNOW!"

"… You done?"

Gohan took a deep breath. "… Yeah."

Bulma sighed. "I get it. You can't reveal your identity because of publicity and general human stupidity. But you are digging yourself an early grave." She shrugged. "I honestly don't know how to help you. Sorry."

"Great. Just great." Gohan plopped himself down at the kitchen table. "What am I going to do? The second I open my mouth she'll know it's me. Or at least Saiyaman." He paused. "Say Bulma, you don't happen to have a voice changer thingy do you?"

Bulma thought for a moment. "Nope. Never thought to invent one."

"Aagh." Gohan let his head hit the tabletop. "Peachy."

Bulma felt a pang of pity for the boy. He'd really gotten himself into a pickle this time. No amount of new gadgetry was going to help Gohan out this time around.

The teenaged saiyan raised his head to see Vegeta enter the kitchen. "Hey Vegeta."

Vegeta looked at him briefly before muttering "_Tsüdvöz._"

(Greetings)

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Saiyago?"

"Hn." Vegeta pulled a water bottle out of the refrigerator.

"Since when do you address anyone in Saiyago?"

Vegeta wiped his mouth after swigging from the bottle. "Since the brat suddenly started speaking it last time we sparred."

Bulma cocked her head at Gohan. "Really? You know Saiyago?"

"No, I really don't. But for some reason, every time I fight with Vegeta I speak it." Gohan sighed. "But I don't know why."

"So you're trying to get him to fight you?"

"No." Vegeta scowled at Gohan. "I'm trying to get him to remember."

"Yeah well, it's not working." Gohan gumbled.

Vegeta biffed him lightly in the back of the head. "_Jeto proto, zet jsteblázen_."

(It's because you're a fool.)

Gohan winced. "I'm sure that was an insult." He lowered his head back to the table. "But I don't care right now."

Bulma watched him for a spell, eyes bright. She snapped her fingers. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Saiyago!" She turned to Vegeta. "Teach him Saiyago!"

Gohan frowned. "How's that going to help me?"

"If you speak with an accent, there's no way Videl will recognize your voice!" Bulma gestured at Vegeta. "Vegeta's voice sounds much deeper when he's speaking his native tongue. I'm sure that if you learn Saiyago, your voice will be just as deep. Plus, you'll finally be able to understand yourself when you go all fight-crazy."

The teenager visibly brightened. "That's a great idea! Vegeta! Teach me Saiyago!"

Vegeta turned away from the pair. "… No."

"Whaaat? Why not?!"

"It's a foolish idea." He turned to Bulma. "One night is not enough time. Even if the boy learns it all tonight, there is no way he will sound Saiyan enough to fool anyone."

"He doesn't need to learn it _all_ tonight anyway. He just needs to learn the sounds."

"Regardless, I will not desecrate my language by teaching it to a third class brat."

"Oh c'mon Vegeta. You know he's no third rate." Bulma sauntered seductively up to her husband. She placed her hands on his chest. "It'll be a cinch. Pleeeeeease teach him Vegeta?"

Vegeta's eyes met hers. Her eyelids were lowered becomingly. "I know what you are doing." He said gruffly. "It won't work on me."

"Humph." Bulma pouted. "Let's make a deal then. I'll give you something good in exchange for Gohan's Saiyago lessons."

"No amount of persuasion will change my mind." Vegeta growled.

"But what if I…" She whispered in his ear rapidly.

Vegeta's face turned a lovely shade of crimson. "V-Vulgar woman! How dare you insinuate something so…!"

"You know you want to." Bulma smiled coyly. "Well? Do we have a deal?"

The flame haired man looked torn for a moment. Abruptly he walked over and yanked Gohan up by his collar. "Come on _boy_. There is much to learn." He shot Bulma a smirk as he dragged Gohan away. "Prepare yourself for later."

Gohan clapped his hands over his ears. "I don't want to know. I don't want to know. I. Don't. Want. To. Know."

* * *

Well, this is a sucky place to end a chapter. :I  
Tune in next time to see the scene everyperson wants to see!  
The TENSION, the FLUFF, the BLUSHING! We've GOT IT ALL.

By the way, does my pacing seem a little off to you? Part of me is rushing the story along to get to the good bits I have planned. Like this next chapter. :3  
Let me know how I do by reading and reviewing. I appreciate it!


	13. Super Saiyan Meet and Greet

**A/N**: Fluff warning! From two perspectives nonetheless! Awwwwww yissss.

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't even own Goku's lucky wristbands. It all belongs to the lovely Toriyama-sama. 33

Ch. 13: Super Saiyan Meet and Greet

* * *

**VIDEL**

Videl rested on a bench near the center of the park. A single streetlight shown down on her from above, giving her a somber, 'waiting on a stake out' kind of feel. Of course, no cop would come to a stake out dressed as she was. She wore heels at Erasa's behest and knee length summer dress with black biker shorts underneath. Her raven hair was loose over her shoulders in a most becoming way or so she was told. Luckily, Videl was able to persuade Erasa from using any makeup on her. Kami knows how that might have turned out

She looked down again at her watch. She'd waited there in the center of the park for two hours for the Gold Fighter to show. Not that it was an unpleasant night. Warm breezes blew gently through the trees. The moon was full and bright. The lights from the city gleamed over the tops of the trees surrounding her.

But Videl was impatient.

_Is he coming here or what?!_ She tapped her foot, irritated at waiting for so long. _I've been here since 10 o'clock! It's practically midnight!_ She stood up to pace back and forth carefully. She wobbled slightly, uncomfortable in her current footwear. Heels were not her forte. Nor were dresses. You didn't need to 'pretty-up' to fight crime. She'd feel much better in something that would let her move more easily.

Abruptly, the streetlight above her flickered out. _And now this!_ She raged quietly, remembering that she had forgone the handbag Erasa offered her. Would've come in handy now. Especially the flashlight that would've been inside.

It took a minute for Videl's eyes to adjust to her surroundings. The moonlight was actually bright enough to see by. Letting out an angry huff, she slowly started walking. _Maybe he went to the wrong place. That stupid Saiyaman probably gave him the wrong directions or something!_ Nervous as she was to see the Gold Fighter again, Videl was eager to meet him. She spent so much time worrying over what she'd say that the suspense was absolutely maddening._ If the Gold Fighter doesn't show… so help me I'll rip Saiyaman a new one! I'll chew him out so hard that he's gonna need medical help when I'm through with him!_

Grumbling, Videl made her way through the park. She wobbled every once in a while, but managed to get through the park pretty well. Still, it was slow going. Videl had to concentrate on the ground in front of her to keep from falling. She was crossing a particularly large clearing when she heard someone.

A baritone voice drifted gently across the night air. The voice was repeating something in a lilting way. Reminding her of a nursery rhyme of childhood past. Videl listened carefully, following the sound to its origin.

There, on a small hill beneath a tree, stood a man wrapped in a golden glow.

Videl gasped slightly. It was the Gold Fighter.

The man turned to look at her, pinning her with his gaze. The eyes were stern, piercing blue orbs looking straight through her. Her head spun with the force of it. She swallowed nervously and drew closer. Taking him in.

Unlike her previous encounters, the Gold Fighter wore more modest clothing. Dark slacks covered his legs. A light blue button down shirt adorned his torso. The top few buttons open to reveal taut pectoral muscles. He had a relaxed air about him that set Videl more at ease, though she couldn't stop the blush that flooded her cheeks. Power radiated from his stance. His muscles could still be seen as the clothing hugged him. _Don't think about him shirtless. Don't think about him shirtless. Don't think about him shirtless._

Videl finally reached to top of the hill. She stood in the moonlight out of the shade of the tree, allowing the space between them to act as a buffer for the impending conversation.

"Ah…" She cleared her throat nervously. "H-hello."

The Gold fighter took a deep breath and stepped into the moonlight to face her. As the golden glow from his body met the gentle rays of the moon, his glow turned softly silver. An almost white light emanated from him.

_He's… he's got to have some sort of light hidden somewhere._ Videl watched him, astounded. She looked him up and down. _There's no explanation for this glow! How is he doing it? _ She stared speechless at him for a few moments. What kind of person…? Who is he? Her eyes jumped back to his face to see that he was watching her silently. Eyes roving over her features.

"Oh! Ah, sorry." Videl stuck her hand out awkwardly. "I'm Videl Satan. It's nice to finally meet you."

He slowly reached out and shook her hand. _His hand is so warm…_ Videl marveled at how gentle he was. She was under the impression that he'd be rough and tough. After all, he naturally gave off such a powerful presence. Videl released his hand quickly, her face flushing again at the simple contact.

"I… I uh… I'm glad you found the place." She looked up at the man. "Saiyaman didn't give you the… uhm… the wrong directions did he?"

The Gold Fighter shook his head, smiling gently. Videl felt her heart race. _Ooooh Kami give me strength._ She rubbed her bare arms nervously. _Remember why you're here. You can do it Videl!_

"So, uh… the reason I wanted to meet you here… is because I wanted to thank you." The crime fighter smiled. "You saved my life a few days ago, so…" Videl bowed deeply, "Thank you very much for saving my life!"

As she straightened, Videl saw a light blush cover the Gold Fighter's face. He was looking off to the side, rubbing the back of his neck as though he was embarrassed. A small grin on his lips. Videl felt satisfied by the gesture. _Guess he doesn't get thanked much._ Emboldened by his reaction, Videl started talking to him.

"You know, I didn't expect to see you at the bank that day. Usually I don't take too kindly to people horning in on my work, but you really saved me then." She hesitated briefly. "If it's alright, I'd like to ask you a few questions?"

The Gold Fighter thought to himself for a moment and then nodded yes.

Grinning for all she was worth, Videl stretched her arms happily. "Awesome! I've wanted to give you a rundown ever since I met you!" She waved her hands in a placating gesture at his sudden concerned glare. "Oh! Don't worry! I won't tell anyone. This is strictly off the record."

He shot her a skeptical look. Videl sighed. "Okay… not strictly off the record. I just want to know more about you." _Find out who you really are._ "You know, determine if you are a threat to Satan city and all that."

The Gold Fighter nodded, seating himself on the grass. He gestured for Videl to do the same. As she sat down, she wondered how she was going to get him to actually talk. _He hasn't spoken a word since I met him. Maybe he's worried that I'll recognize his voice… hmmmm…_

"So, what is your name?" Videl smiled "I can't keep calling you the Gold Fighter now can I?"

The Gold Fighter just shrugged. _Guess he's okay with it. Oh, I see how you want to play. Bring it on!_

Videl smirked. "Goldilocks it is then!" She giggled at his astounded look. _Erasa was right. He really is a cutie… DANGIT VIDEL! FOCUS!_

She cleared her throat. "So Goldy, why did you choose to protect Satan city?"

A shrug was her response.

"Well, do you live in the city?"

Another shrug.

"Do you have family in the city?"

A third shrug. _This guy… _Videl felt her frustration increase.

"Why fight crime?"

A gesture to Videl.

"I fight crime because… Don't change the subject! Tell, me, how are you so powerful?"

Shrug.

"How are you able to fly?"

Shrug. _Alright… shrugging is getting old!_

"Do you have martial arts training?"

Shrugalicious.

Videl was starting to get seriously pissed. "Do you intend to answer any of my questions?!"

He shook his head no, grinning infuriatingly.

"AUGH." Videl let out a yell of frustration. "Why not?! Did that Saiyadork tell you not to?! I swear I'm gonna pound him so bad…" She started ripping out the grass around her in fury. She looked back at the clearly amused Gold Fighter. "You aren't helping anything, Goldilocks!"

The Gold Fighter merely grinned harder. She stuck her tongue out at him. He returned the gesture. She bit back an angry retort and made another face at him. He responded in kind until they were going back and forth. Both of them trying hard to contain their giggles at the terrible faces they were pulling. Videl had just pulled a good one that had him almost in stitches when the fun was interrupted by a beep from her wrist.

Videl looked down at her watch. "Oh." It was almost one in the morning. "Yeah, I guess it is getting kind of late. But please just answer this last question for me."

The powerful blond man folded his arms across his broad chest, waiting for the question. _Time to drop the bomb. _Videl took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eye.

"Were you at the Cell games?"

The Gold Fighter's eyes widened. His jaw dropped slightly and Videl knew she'd struck a nerve.

"That boy. The delivery boy." She pressed. "That was you, wasn't it?"

The man turned away from her. He stared up at the moon. Minutes passed in silence. Videl was about to say something when the smooth baritone voice that she heard earlier flowed from the lips of the Gold Fighter.

"Yes."

Videl's eyes widened. _I was right!_ She struggled to keep the excitement out of her voice. "You… you were there when my father killed Cell?"

The Gold fighter let out a wry chuckle. "Yes I was." His voice was strangely accented. Deep, as if it had been borne in the depths of his being only now to emerge in the moonlight.

_He's a foreigner?_ "…Did you fight Cell?"

The glowing man let out a sigh, slumping forward slightly. "Please," he said in his rich, oddly accented voice, "ask a different question."

His words sent ripples of apprehension down her spine. His voice sounded… regretful. "Why? I know it's not the most pleasant memory, but… what happened?"

The Gold Fighter turned his eyes to Videl. She was shocked to see a great sadness in their depths. "My father died that day." He said, voice strained.

"Oh. I'm sorry… I didn't…"

"No. It's fine." He looked back up at the moon. "You didn't know."

They sat in silence for a while, gazing at the moon. Videl felt shameful. _Losing mom was bad enough. Losing Dad…_ She didn't even want to consider it. Videl glanced over at the Gold Fighter and spoke quietly.

"I know it's no consolation, but my mother also passed away during that time." She brought her knees up to her chin. "She was out getting groceries when a gang of men held up the store." Videl sighed sadly. "It was after Cell had issued his ultimatum. Everyone was going a bit crazy. So when they held up the store she… she stepped in and…" The raven haired girl couldn't finish the thought. Her eyes filled up with unshed tears. _Stupid… don't cry in front of him… he'll think you're weak…_

She was startled to feel an arm gently place itself around her shoulders. Giving her a gentle squeeze. She looked up into compassionate blue eyes.

"I'm sorry." His deep voice rumbled in his chest, sending vibrations over the arm and shoulder pressed up against his torso. She shivered slightly, relishing the warmth that was coming off him in calming waves. Unable to speak right away, Videl nodded.

After a moment she spoke again. "That's why I fight crime. To protect the people who my mother died trying to save."

Videl felt his arm around her tighten. "That's… the best reason to fight." She looked up into his eyes once more. "To protect the ones you love."

They gazed into each other's eyes. _Wow. I never would have thought we'd have something in common._ She smiled at him. When he smiled in kind, Videl felt herself relax. Videl noticed that his eyes were completely blue, as though the pupil had disappeared. _I wonder if he wears contacts. _However, Videl's thoughts froze as she realized how close they were. Practically hugging! She blushed hotly at the thought. She saw him blush equally as bad and the two pulled apart swiftly. _Oh jeez oh jeez… I don't even know who he really is!_

"Thanks… uh... for answering my question." Videl stuttered. "I guess I'd better get going then…" She started backing away from the Gold Fighter, noticing the lingering gaze. It held her so much, that when her heel caught on a bump of the hill, she didn't have the presence of mind to catch herself.

With a dull 'whump', Videl landed painfully on her rear.

"AUGH!" Anger at her high heels overrode embarrassment at falling in front of the Gold Fighter. She ripped the shoes off and hurled them down the hill. "Burn and die, devil spawn!" A heavy blush resurfaced on her face as she turned to the Gold Fighter, expecting him to be disapproving.

But no.

He was laughing. An honest to goodness belly laugh. The aura around him shone even brighter, temporarily changing color to a gold speckled with silver.

A golden laugh.

Videl found herself laughing along with him. "Well," she said between chuckles, "I'd better get going. I've got school tomorrow after all. Thanks again for coming out to meet with me." She hesitated. "Will… will I see you again?"

She watched as he pondered his answer. Videl hoped that this wouldn't be the last meeting with the mysterious young man. _I want to find out more. Who you really are. _The Gold Fighter seemed to come to a conclusion as he smiled.

"Certainly."

Videl grinned broadly. "Alright then. See ya around, Goldilocks!" She turned to leave, but stopped dead when she heard him speak.

"See you later, Videl."

_That voice! _Videl's eyes widened in shock. _I know that voice! _She whirled about, hoping to catch him before he left. A sudden wind buffeted her roughly, forcing her to close her eyes.

When she opened them again, the Gold Fighter was gone.

* * *

**GOHAN**

Gohan surged through the air. The Saiyago lesson had taken longer than he expected. The saiyan teen had picked up the sounds easily enough. Frankly, he was sure he surprised Vegeta with his quick uptake. He'd gotten the accent down well enough in the last few hours to satisfy the prince. Vegeta had been right when he said that he'd never get it all in one night. Saiyago was a language spoken from the back of the throat. A deeply primal language filled with inflection and sometimes animalistic sounds. Still, it felt almost natural to be speaking it.

_I am so late._ He glanced up at the moon. It shone down bright upon the city, causing it to gleam softly. _Well, she did say __**late**__ tonight. Maybe I'm right on time or something?_ The moonlight filled him with a sense of peace. He soaked it up as he flew, allowing himself to go super. The transformation gave him a burst of speed and soon he was at the park.

Gohan landed on a small hillock a ways from the center of the park. He could sense Videl's ki slowly moving toward him. He swallowed nervously. _I can do this. I can do this. Just remember the vowel sounds._

"_Ah-, Eh-, Eee-, Hoh-, Ouu-_" He murmured. "_Rah-, Tse-, Nyet-, Och-, Roo-_" His voice grew more confidant. It was certainly deeper than when he spoke normally. It carried a rich, rumbling kind of quality. "_Mach-, Behs-, Nyee-, Tross-, Kruu-_" He relaxed into the sound, leaning back against a tree. How come he couldn't be a baritone when he tried singing? The Son boys were notoriously bad at singing. Not for lack of trying though. Gohan continued to practice, relishing his manly voice. He didn't care that he had no idea what he was saying. "_Jsem, zest, mel. Zemiak, zarážka, žezleo, najzalengší cudzinect muž._"

(Unintelligible babble. I, you, me. Potato, doorstop, scepter, the greenest alien man.)

He stopped speaking to himself. _Videl's ki is getting closer._ He steadied his breathing. _Here goes nothing. Remember, you're supposed to be calm, cool, and collected. Aloof._ And so, with great trepidation, Gohan turned, expecting to see Videl all up in his grill as usual. But when he saw her, his breath caught in his throat.

She was beautiful.

The moonlight shone softly on her, making her dark hair shimmer. Her skin looked like the smoothest porcelain under its glow. A faint blush dusted her cheeks adding to her appeal. Her arms were bare from the sleeveless dress she wore. The dress itself was not skintight, but accented her figure, making her appear so much more like a woman. She wore heels and wobbled almost imperceptibly as she drew closer.

_Vi… Videl?_ Gohan's mind short circuited. _Sweet Kami…_ She reached him at the top of the hill and cleared her throat. It was just enough to knock him from his temporary stupor.

"Ah…" She cleared her throat nervously. "H-hello."

_It… it really is Videl!_ Gohan marveled. _She's… she's all dressed up… for me? Am I that big a deal to her?_ He took a deep breath and stepped into the moonlight to face her.

Immediately, Gohan found himself caught in her gaze. _She's… gorgeous._ Her eyes captivated him. Bright and a deep cerulean blue, they widened at the now silver glow coming off him. The saiyan teen watched as they flickered up to his face and back down again. He could almost see the wheels turn in her mind.

_Wow…_

"Oh! Ah, sorry." Videl stuck her hand out awkwardly, breaking through his amazement. "I'm Videl Satan. It's nice to finally meet you, Gold Fighter."

Gohan slowly reached out to shake her hand. His heart was pounding for some reason or another, but he wrote it off as nervousness. As he gripped her hand, he noticed her calluses from training. He knew she trained hard to protect her city. Her grip tightened around his hand and he marveled again at her. _Her hand is so small compared to mine_.

Abruptly, Videl pulled away from the handshake. Gohan saw a blush stain her cheeks briefly as she moved. _She's blushing? Why…_

"I… I uh… I'm glad you found the place." Videl looked up at him. "Saiyaman didn't give you the… uhm… the wrong directions did he?"

_Did I what? Oh. Yeah. I was late. _Gohan smiled, shaking his head. _I didn't get lost. I was just running late from a language lesson._

Videl rubbed her arms nervously. "So, uh… the reason I wanted to meet you here… is because I wanted to thank you." The crime fighter smiled. "You saved my life a few days ago, so…" she bowed deeply, "Thank you very much for saving my life!"

Gohan couldn't stop his jaw from dropping. _She… she really DID just want to thank me!_ A blush that Gohan couldn't beat down seared over his cheeks. Out of reflex, his arm reached up to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. _Gee… I-it wasn't anything special…_ He looked away, trying to keep from smiling. _You're welcome Videl._

"You know, I didn't expect to see you at the bank that day. Usually I don't take too kindly to people horning in on my work, but you really saved me then." She hesitated briefly. "If it's alright, I'd like to ask you a few questions?"

Gohan cocked his head to the side in thought. _Why not? I mean… I don't __**have**__ to answer her if I don't want to._ He nodded and watched her face light up. His heart fluttered.

"Awesome! I've wanted to give you a rundown ever since I met you!" She waved her hands in a placating gesture at his sudden concerned glare. "Oh! Don't worry! I won't tell anyone. This is strictly off the record."

_Yeah sure it is._ He shot her a skeptical look. When she sighed, he felt triumphant.

"Okay… not strictly off the record. I just want to know more about you. You know, determine if you are a threat to Satan city and all that."

_There's the Videl I know._ He chuckled inwardly. Gohan plopped himself down on the grassy hillock and gestured for Videl to do the same. As she seated herself, Gohan pondered how he was going to get around these questions. _I'd better not say anything. Who knows what will happen if I do._

"So, what is your name?" Videl smiled "I can't keep calling you the Gold Fighter now can I?"

_Huh… _Gohan thought for a moment. _I never thought about it. Gold Fighter is fine I guess._ He shrugged.

Videl smirked. "Goldilocks it is then!"

_WHAT._ Gohan was appalled. _What kind of a name is that?!_

Videl giggled at his shocked expression. "So Goldy, why did you choose to protect Satan city?"

_Goldy…_ Gohan shrugged. _I'm not going to answer that!_

"Well, do you live in the city?"

He shrugged again.

"Do you have family in the city?"

He continued to shrug. His amusement grew at her frustrated expression.

"Why fight crime?"

Gohan gestured to her. _Why do you?_

"I fight crime because… Don't change the subject! Tell, me, how are you so powerful?"

Shrug.

"How are you able to fly?"

Shrug.

"Do you have martial arts training?"

Shrugarific.

Videl was starting to get angry. "Do you intend to answer any of my questions?!"

Gohan shook his head no, grinning. Inside he was giggling like a little kid. _Oh man! Videl is just too fun to tease!_

"AUGH." Videl let out a yell of frustration. "Why not?! Did that Saiyadork tell you not to?! I swear I'm gonna pound him so bad…" She started ripping out the grass around her in fury. Gohan watched on in amusement. "You aren't helping anything Goldilocks!"

He grinned harder, barely holding back his snickers. Videl stuck her tongue out at him. Gohan stuck out his tongue at her. She looked like she was about to say something nasty, but instead made face at him. He responded in kind until it became a battle of the silly faces. It was super hard to keep from laughing outright. The giggles they stifled would be heard plainly by each of them. Gohan was hard pressed to keep his mouth shut after a particular funny one when a beeping sound interrupted their fun.

Videl looked down at her watch. "Oh." It was almost one in the morning. "Yeah, I guess it is getting kind of late. But please just answer this last question for me."

Gohan calmed himself and folded his arms. _Alright… hit me with your best shot._ Videl took a deep breath and leaned closer to him.

"Were you at the Cell games?"

Gohan's eyes widened. His jaw dropped slightly at the question. Videl pressed on doggedly.

"That boy. The delivery boy. That was you, wasn't it?"

The Saiyan teen turned away from her. Painful memories wiped away the strains of happiness he had just been attempting to hide. _Dad…_ He looked up at the moon, finding solace in its peaceful glow. _She really did her homework didn't she? Man…_ He shut his eyes and felt his pulse beat within his chest. Minutes passed before he finally decided to speak.

"Yes."

"You… you were there when my father killed Cell?"

_Your father…_ Gohan let a wry chuckle escape his lips. "Yes I was." He barely remembered to use the accent he just learned.

"… Did you fight Cell?"

Images flashed in his mind. Gohan let out a sigh and rested his head in his hands. "Please, ask a different question."

"Why? I know it's not the most pleasant memory, but… what happened?"

Gohan looked at Videl. "My father died that day." He said, voice straining to keep the accent in and the sadness out.

"Oh. I'm sorry… I didn't…" Videl looked down shamefaced.

"No. It's fine." He looked back up at the moon. "You didn't know."

They sat in silence for a while, gazing at the moon. Then Videl spoke softly.

"I know it's no consolation, but my mother also passed away." She brought her knees up to her chin. "She was out getting groceries when a gang of men held up the store." Videl sighed sadly. "It was after Cell had issued his ultimatum. Everyone was going a bit crazy. So when they held up the store she… she stepped in and…" She turned her face away, biting her lip.

_You… lost your mom?_ Gohan thoughts went to Chichi. Things would've been so much worse if she had died in the midst of all that chaos seven years ago. Slowly, gently, Gohan stretched an arm around Videl and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry." He said. He allowed his ki to wash over her in waves, calming her. She nodded meekly and leaned against him. His heart beat in time with hers.

After a moment she spoke again. "That's why I fight crime. To protect the people who my mother died trying to save."

Gohan tightened his grip on her. That made so much sense. "That's… the best reason to fight." He said. "To protect the ones you love." It was the reason his father fought and died. She looked up into his eyes once more.

Videl smiled at him. He smiled in kind. They sat there together and Gohan wondered to himself. _We have more in common than I thought._ However, after looking into each other's eyes a while, Gohan realized how close they were. The teens pulled away from each other at the same time, blushing hotly. _Oh geez Oh geez… This is the girl that likes you!_

"Thanks… uh... for answering my question." Videl stuttered, backing away slowly. "I guess I'd better get going then…"

_You're leaving?_ Gohan watched her longingly. _But we just…_

Suddenly, Videl lost her balance and fell to her butt with a dull 'whump'.

"AUGH!" Clearly frustrated beyond belief at her shoes, Videl ripped them off and hurled them down the hill. "Burn and die, devil spawn!" She turned slowly back to Gohan, an angry flush on her face.

Gohan burst out laughing. He couldn't help himself! That was just too priceless and _so_ like Videl! His energy sparkled around him with the change of his mood. Videl started laughing along with him. Her voice combining with his in a melodic way.

"Well," she said between chuckles, "I'd better get going. I've got school tomorrow after all. Thanks again for coming out to meet with me." She hesitated. "Will… will I see you again?"

_Well technically she'll see me tomorrow in school._ Gohan postulated mentally. _I suppose it wouldn't hurt to answer her honestly._

"Certainly." He smiled at her grin.

"Alright then. See ya around, Goldilocks!" She turned to leave, but stopped when she heard him speak.

"See you later, Videl."

And with that, Gohan powered up and shot into the sky. He looped about happily through the clouds. _That went better than expected! I really enjoyed that! _He was too caught up in his joy to realize that he'd dropped his accent in that last goodbye.

* * *

That night, both teens lay awake. Each too wrapped up in their own thoughts to sleep. Excitement and puzzlement circulated in their brains. Oh what a night it had been! Upon returning to their respective homes, both teens got a chewing out from parents who waited up to see that they got home. Now they lie in their beds. Staring up at the ceiling and wishing for the sweet relief of unconsciousness.

Inside her father's mansion, Videl lay in her room hopelessly confused. The Gold Fighter was the delivery boy grown up! Where'd he been? How'd he do those light tricks? She knew she recognized that voice, but from where? Why did he seem so achingly familiar? Were Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter actually the same person? Her head spun with unanswered questions.

And he was so handsome, kind, gentle… Why did she feel so strange about that? Her thoughts bounced from questions to the man himself. Yeah she liked him, but why did it make her feel weird? Why did Gohan keep popping up in her mind? Gohan wasn't even involved!

She tossed and turned, trying to will her brain into shutting off and having no luck.

On the other side of the mountains, Gohan was having just as hard a time falling asleep. His small room was lit with moonlight. But the light did nothing to soothe the troubled teen. His thoughts revolved around Videl and their current standing with each other.

He had two secret identities, both of which were somehow involved with Videl. Going to school with her and not acting suspicious was hard. Keeping his secret identities separate from each other was getting to be a challenge in and of itself. How did it come to be so difficult? Saiyaman was her partner in fighting crime. He knew Videl saw him as kind of a hindrance, but appreciated his help well enough. But the Gold Fighter was important enough to her that she dressed up all fancy for him! Did she have feelings for him? Well, she had feelings for his alter ego. Son Gohan was just another classmate.

That revelation hurt. But… why? He didn't like Videl like that… did he? Sure she was an incredible person. Steadfast, brave, and witty. Intelligent and courageous. Beautiful…

Gohan flipped over in his bed, grumbling to himself. Of all the times not to be able to sleep! He was happy, confused, and disappointed all at the same time. And those saiyan hormones of his were not helping! He tossed and turned, too restless in his body and his mind.

And so, the night passed fitfully for the teenagers.

* * *

YEAH DOUBLE UPDATE! *confetti everywhere*  
More to come! I just gotta write fashtah.

Did this satisfy the need for hopeless fluff? Did I accomplish the double perspective thing appropriately?  
Let me know! Read and Review please! I wanna know if I did okaaaaaay.


	14. Challenge Accepted

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and CERTAINLY don't own Dragonball GT. Uuuuugh what a freaky trip that was.

Ch. 14: Challenge Accepted

* * *

"I _hate_ mornings." Videl grumbled to herself. She dragged herself out of bed, scarcely in time to get ready for school, all the while cursing whoever came up with the rule that school should start at 7 AM. Late nights, followed by little sleep made for irritable youths. She'd gotten, at best, what… three or four hours of sleep?

"Absolutely _hate _'em." She stumbled to the bathroom, barely glancing at the shattered remains of her alarm clock. Poor thing has suffered one foul tempered hit too many.

Videl swept her hair into pigtails with practiced ease. It was still slightly wavy from last night…

_Last night…_

She stared into the mirror. _I didn't dream it all, did I?_ She tilted her head at her reflection. _I actually got to talk with the Gold Fighter. It seems so surreal now. I should've taken something along to get some solid evidence that it did indeed happen._

Videl frowned at the mirrored image. _Yeah I got to talk with him, but I still have too many questions unanswered. I mean, I affirmed some things, but nothing more than a yes or no!_

She snatched her toothbrush out of the holder and started a frenzy of frustrated brushing. _He really __**was**__ that little kid from the Cell games. The delivery boy or whatever. _Her brushing slowed as she mulled that concept over. _He didn't really want to talk about it though. His father died that day. That's gotta bring up some painful memories._ She remembered his embrace and blushed lightly. _He was gentler than I thought he'd be._

Usually, Videl wasn't one to share sob-stories with anyone. Especially people she just met. Why then did it seem like he was one she could talk to so freely? Without fear of rejection? Was it the heat of the moment? Could it have been his eyes? His powerful, secure aura? His handsome fa-

_NO._ Videl spat viciously into the sink. _Not first thing in the morning! _A blush stretched across her face. _Focus girl!_

At least Goldilocks wasn't a stick in the mud. He laughed along with Videl when she teased him. It was… fun. Interesting to say the least. _He's younger than I thought he was. About my age, maybe a year older? I couldn't tell by just his voice…_

Videl froze briefly in her morning routine. _His voice!_ _I thought he was a foreigner, but he dropped the accent right before he left! _She strapped her boots on with glee. _He must have been trying to fool me, but I KNOW HIS VOICE! haHA!_

She hurried out the front door, obliging to skip breakfast. Halfway down the front walk, realization hit her like a thunderbolt.

_He's someone I know._

* * *

"Gohan! Wake up!" Chichi stuck her head in the doorway. "You're going to be late!"

A groan sounded out from beneath the covers.

"I don't want to hear it young man! You are the one who stayed out way too late!" She walked back to the kitchen. "You're just going to have to suffer the consequences."

Gohan clawed his way out of the warmth and comfort of his bed. "Why am I going to school again?" He muttered under his breath. The saiyan teen flinched as he heard his mother holler at him.

"Because I said so!"

_Is she even human? I swear her hearing is better than mine!_ Gohan rubbed at his eyes and blearily moved toward his dresser. He dressed slowly, his muscles strangely tense. Sleep didn't come easy at all last night. He got… a few hours maybe.

He rubbed at his shoulder distractedly. _I need to loosen up. Otherwise I will really have a tough time keeping control at school._ Gohan glanced at his clock. _Ah crap!_ Half an hour?! Ain't nobody got time for that! Gohan moved like chain lightning to get ready for school. Barely five minutes passed before he was dashing down the stairs.

That was when he tripped over Goten.

"Ah geez!" Gohan went tumbling down the stairs. "GOTEN!" But, the momentary pause in his movement was soon forgotten as he raced into the kitchen to grab something for the flight. Goten grinned and watched Gohan dash out the door, causing Chichi to shriek most girlishly. A faint sorry was heard in the distance. It's always funny to see big brother running late.

In the air, some miles from home, Gohan had already hit mach speed. He didn't think to hide his power level or even keep it in check as he raced to school. His mind was blank as he flew. Except for the 'I can't be late _again_' mantra. Thus, the punch that decked him across the face took him completely by surprise.

"AGH!" Gohan spun a few times in the air before catching himself and turning to face his assailant.

"Piccolo!" He rubbed the side of his head angrily. "What did you do that for!?" He threw his hands in the air. "No! Doesn't matter! Running late! Gotta go!" He said and blasted past Piccolo.

However, the saiyan teen was jerked back to Piccolo's side by a firm grip to the back of the collar. "School can wait a moment." Piccolo said gruffly.

Curse his stretchy arms! "Hey! Let me go!" Gohan hollered, angrily spinning out of Piccolo's grip.

"Have you even thought about how high your ki has gotten?"

"Of course I ha-" Gohan checked himself. He was already a super saiyan. "Oh." He closed his eyes forced himself to relax. Drawing power back into his core. Breathing deeply, he turned his senses inward. _Relax… Relax…_

Slowly, achingly slowly, his ki fell to normal levels. Opening his eyes, he looked gratefully at Piccolo. "Thanks."

"Sure kid." Piccolo frowned. "Are you able to control yourself adequately to be around humans?"

"Yeah. I just had a long night is all." Gohan fidgeted. "There was this girl and she wanted to find out my secret identity and..."

He trailed off at the pure annoyance on Piccolo's face. It must be a rough morning for everyone.

"Ah… sorry. I'll keep a better eye on it today."

"Good."

Gohan waved to his mentor and hurried on his way. This time, he was careful to keep his power in check. No longer speeding at dangerous levels, he allowed his mind to drift. The events of last night had been something he spent long hours of the night pondering.

_It wasn't just some girl though. It was Videl. But should that really make such a difference? I mean… she's my friend right?_

…

_Do… I like Videl?_ He blushed gently. _I… I don't know. Could it just be adrenaline? Hormones screwing with my head? I mean… she likes the Gold Fighter, barely puts up with Saiyaman, and is in a tentative friendship with Gohan Son. I'm all three! How is this ever going to work out?_

He sighed heavily and hurried to school.

* * *

"Finally you're here! Okay Videl, I want details and I want 'em now!"

"Good morning to you too, Erasa." Videl grumbled as she took her seat next to Sharpner. For the raven haired teen to be caught running late was no big deal. Her late entrances were something every teacher at Orange Star High was used to. Most of them didn't even check to see if there was an actual emergency anymore.

"Come ON Videl! You were running late! I was kept in horrible, HORRIBLE suspense!" Erasa put a dramatic hand to her forehead. "I could barely sleep last night! Just knowing that my best friend was off on a secret romantic rendezvous with Mr. tall, dark, and dreamy…"

"Shut up shut up shut UP!" Videl clapped a hand over Erasa's mouth. "Alright! I'll tell you all about it, but just… wait a while okay?"

Erasa pushed Videl's hand away. "Why?" She asked.

"I don't want it to be common knowledge." Videl grimaced. "Do you remember that rumor that Sharpner and I had a thing?"

"Oh yeah." Erasa wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That took forever to clear up. The tabloids wouldn't let that one go for anything."

"Yeah. It was tough even after I got Dad involved." Videl sighed. "I swear I'll tell you about it later, alright?"

Erasa nodded. She was about to speak again when the door to the classroom burst open.

"Ah! S-sorry I'm late!" Gohan stuttered as he stumbled haphazardly into the classroom.

The teacher didn't even turn from the board. "Mr. Son," he said, "while I do understand that you take a long commute in the morning, tardiness will not be tolerated. I will be seeing you after class."

Gohan dejectedly climbed the stairs to his seat. Erasa couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. Yeah he was late, but he had to travel five hours or something to get here. Cut him some slack! Videl on the other hand, stared openly at Gohan.

_No… _

She watched him take his seat next to Erasa.

_It… it couldn't be. _Videl eyes widened._ Gohan's voice… He sounds just like the Gold Fighter!_

Erasa noticed that the tag of Gohan shirt was sticking out right below his neck and giggled. She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Pssst! Hey Gohan!" She whispered gleefully. "Your shirt is on backwards!"

Gohan looked down and blushed furiously. He tried to shift it around his form, but stopped. It looked like he'd have to strip to get it on the right way. Erasa grinned harder. Gohan smacked his forehead with his hand.

"It's been a rough morning." He mumbled quietly to her.

… _Nah._ Videl turned back to the teacher. _No way could Gohan be the Gold Fighter. He couldn't possibly be that dorky. Maybe I was hearing things. I didn't get that much sleep last night anyway._

She looked back to Gohan. Their eyes met and Videl found herself turning away and blushing. _Wh-what's with that guy!? He's not the Gold Fighter! He has some kinda secret, but he isn't some super-powered crime-fighting vigilante! He's too normal._ She glanced behind her to see Gohan buried in his textbook.

_Too normal for his own good. Maybe… _Videl shook her head. _Now's not the time. Focus on the facts!_ She pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write down everything she knew about the Gold Fighter. Lists helped put away confusing feelings.

_I can't tell Erasa everything… _She thought to herself. _She'll jump to conclusions and bother me like no tomorrow. I swear I recognized his voice though! I remember the first time the Gold Fighter was spotted. He had on an orange star badge. _She scribbled frantically on her sheet of paper. _I bet he goes to this school!_ She proceeded to write down all she knew about the Gold fighter.

Videl chewed the end of her pencil in agitation. _If that's the case, then why haven't I seen him in school before? It's not like you could hide a physique like that._ She felt heat rise to her cheeks again. _Or a golden glow like that! He must be a master of disguise or something! Wigs, colored contacts, the works! Who knows what he really looks like here at school?_

Videl smirked at her list of Gold Fighter facts before stuffing them in her textbook. _I swear I'll find you. Just you wait._

* * *

"Alright class. I know you guys have heard all about Mr. Satan before, but that is no reason to slack off. Since you obviously haven't been listening to my lesson," the teacher said, "we'll use the rest of this period to work on our reports." He shook his head at all the grumbling. "Those who finish early can work on other things. You may talk, but please keep the screaming to a minimum. Remember, that there will be an assembly on Friday for Satan Day. So get your work done beforehand."

Immediately disregarding their teacher's advice, the students started chattering away. Erasa wasted no time in cornering Videl.

"C'mon Videl! Tell us ALL about your meeting with the Gold Fighter!" Erasa bubbled excitedly.

Videl looked around suspiciously. A few people looked interested in their conversation "Erasa! I said I didn't want this to become common knowledge!" Videl whispered angrily.

"Yeah well, it's not like this is a secret. Everyone saw you on TV with him a few days ago."

"Erasaaaaaaah!"

"Oh chill out. You don't have to tell us anything super important." Sharpner said. "Besides, it's not like you found out his secret identity or anything right?"

Videl said some choice words. Erasa placed herself between Sharpner and Videl. "Don't listen to Sharpner. Besides, we won't tell anyone, right?"

She sighed heavily. "Alright. I'll tell you, but we have to keep it down." She leaned forward in her seat. "Okay, so I went to the park late last night. I figured I'd wait around for the guy. I mean, I never really specified the time other than 'tonight'. I wait around for two hours and he doesn't show. I start walking home when I hear this voice. I follow it and what do I find?"

"The Gold Fighter!" Erasa squealed.

"Shhhhhhh!" Videl shushed her, glancing around again. "Yeah yeah… Mr. Goldilocks himself." Behind her, Gohan winced slightly. Erasa, being ever observant, noticed this but ignored it in favor of juicier gossip.

Sharpner snickered. "Goldilocks?"

"Shut up Sharpner!" Erasa hissed. "What happened next?"

"Well, I go up to the guy and he doesn't say a word. Nothing! I thank him for saving my life and all he does is nod!" Videl hit the desk gently with her fist. "Just thinking about it makes me angry!"

Sharpner quirked an eyebrow at Videl. "Did he answer any of your questions?"

"He agreed to," Videl chewed her fingernail in frustration, "but he didn't answer any of them really. Just nodded yes or no. Most of his answers were just shrugs." She grinned in memory of making faces at him. "I finally got him to speak after a while. Then I hit him with the big one."

"Aaaaaaaaaand?!" Erasa leaned in closer.

Videl glanced around again before whispering, "He was the delivery boy at the cell games."

A blank look crossed Erasa's face. "And that means… what again?"

"Seriously Erasa?" Sharpner shook his head at the blond. "It means that this kid actually saw Mr. Satan defeat cell!"

Videl nodded. "What's more, he was one of the guys using light tricks." She frowned. "Last night, he was glowing. Literally glowing! I still have no idea how he did it."

"Well whatever." Erasa grinned. "What did he look like?"

Sharpner facepalmed. Figures she'd ask something like that.

"You already know Erasa." Videl groaned. "He was glowing gold." Unbeknownst to the crime fighter, Gohan, who had been trying hard not to eavesdrop, blushed slightly. "He had gold blond hair, was roughly 6 feet tall, and had the bluest eyes." She held up a finger. "But they were completely blue. No pupil."

"Freaky." Sharpner muttered. Gohan thumped his head on his desk. Sharpner looked at him curiously, but couldn't see his face. Losing interest, he turned back to Videl.

"He was powerful. Confident. You could see it in the way he carried himself."

"So he's totally ripped?"

Videl blushed slightly. "He was wearing a shirt Erasa!"

Erasa shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask. We all know what he looks like without one on. Glad to know he can handle a change of pace." A gentle thumping noise caused Erasa to glance past Videl to see Gohan beating his head against the desk. Disregarding that, she turned back to Videl. "What else?"

"The guy looked like he was about our age. It was hard to tell because he had such a deep voice." Videl folded her arms across her chest. "He spoke with an accent, so it was hard to place where he was from." Gohan let out a relieved sigh. She ignored him.

"He's foreign?" Erasa fluttered her eyelids dramatically. "How utterly romantic!"

"Somehow I can't peg him as being the romantic kind." Sharpner rolled his eyes.

Videl remembered the gentle embrace she shared with the Gold Fighter. She felt her face heat up and tried to change the subject. "Well anyway…"

"Awww Videl! You're blushing!" Erasa said gleefully. "Something special happen?"

"What?! No!" Videl turned redder. "Nothing happened between us!"

"Ah huh."

"Seriously!"

"Oh I believe you," Erasa winked, "but I bet you wish something did."

Videl couldn't meet the blond's eyes. "Sh-shut up." Behind her, Gohan grew redder. He tried to hide his face in his textbook, but was holding the thing upside-down.

Erasa giggled at Gohan. "What are you gonna do when you find him?" She asked Videl.

Videl replied without looking. "Interrogate him of course."

"Not what I meant Videl." Erasa looked pointedly at her raven haired friend. "He saved your life, has an in with Saiyaman, and has got you head over heels. You have got to ask him out!"

"Wh-what?!" Videl spluttered, a blush searing her cheeks. "No! I couldn't… I mean I wouldn't ever…"

"Oh I see. You're so old fashioned Videl!" The blond shook her head. "But I suppose you have a romantic side after all."

"Erasaaaaah!" Videl was seriously red in the face. "Shut uuuuuup!"

Erasa giggled and moved back to her seat, leaving Sharpner to flirt uselessly with Videl. The busty blond delicately tapped Gohan on the shoulder. He flinched so hard he bumped his knees on the underside of the desk! She took Gohan's book and flipped it the right way up.

"I think you'll have a better time reading it this way."

Gohan mumbled a 'thank you'. His eyes kept darting to Videl. The blush on his face grew redder and he buried himself back in his textbook. Erasa tilted her head to one side. _Why is he so interested in Videl all of a sudden? It's not like he…_

The wheels in the blond's bubbly little head started turning. Gohan was acting strange during their whole conversation. Come to think of it, why did he blush every time Videl talked about the Gold Fighter?

_Oh my Kami. _

Things in her mind started clicking together.

_No… _

She looked over at Videl who was talking to Sharpner again.

_No way! _

_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

Erasa's inner squeal, had it been heard by the rest of the class, would've popped some eardrums. _Gohan has a cruuuuuuuuuuuush! On Videl no less!_ (oooh… so close)

Abruptly jumping to her feet, making Gohan flinch again, Erasa dashed over and pulled Sharpner out of his seat.

"Blond meeting!" She dragged Sharpner down the stairs to the front of the class. She ignored his protests and shoved him out the door. "Be right back Videl!" She called cheerily, shutting the door behind her.

"Blond meeting?!" Sharpner protested angrily. "What the hell's a blond meeting?!"

"It's the best I could come up with on short notice!" Erasa put her hands her hips. "And besides, you weren't getting anywhere with Videl and you know it!"

Sharpner shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Yes I can."

He sighed in irritation. "Why did you drag me out here?"

"Oh! Right." Erasa cleared her throat. "While we were talking about the Gold Fighter and how badly Videl wanted to jump him, Gohan's face was redder than a tomato." She gestured with her hands. "He so obviously likes her!"

"Pffff." Sharpner scoffed, unsurprised. "He and like, half the male population in this school."

"Come on Sharpie! Don't you think that's romantic?" Erasa sighed in bliss. "They are so perfect for each other too! The boy with an untold mysterious past and secret hotness falling for the rough and tumble crime fighter who didn't give him the time of day!"

The blond boy rolled his eyes. "Nice daytime drama you got there."

"How utterly tragic that Videl had such a thing for the Gold Fighter!" Erasa suddenly felt an immense pity for Gohan. "He falls for Videl and then finds out that the Gold Fighter is the guy she's after. He's got to win her heart, but will never be able to do it on his own while he's hiding his super sexy manliness! Oh Sharpie, we've got to help him! We're the only friends Gohan's got!"

"What? I'm not playing matchmaker with you Erasa." Sharpner looked skeptically at Erasa. "Don't get me wrong. I like the guy, but Videl's my babe. I'm not going to help him get with her if that's what you want."

"But what if we told her about Gohan being super buff?"

"She wouldn't believe us even if we did tell her." Sharpner said. "Remember how we first treated Gohan? It's like she doesn't want to believe that there's anything more."

"But…"

"Look, she honestly just doesn't see him as anything else." Sharpner protested. "Gohan is a heck of a lot cooler than we thought, but that's just between you and me. Practically everyone else at this school can't see past the nerd label." Sharpner chuckled. "He is pretty nerdy though. Cool, but a total brainiac."

"Aww please? I mean… Videl's got to find out sometime. Would you at least help me to convince her to look at Gohan a bit differently? I hate the fact that I have to lie to my best friend." Erasa looked pleadingly into Sharpner's eyes. "Pleeeeeease?"

"Fine, just stop with the puppy eyes already." Sharpner groaned half heartedly. "I'll help you. But you owe me one."

"Aww it won't be that hard Sharpie! Videl has loosened up towards Gohan in the past few days. She doesn't interrogate him all the time anymore. Heck, she chills out with him almost as much as we do." She biffed him lightly on his casted arm. "It'll be a cinch!"

Sharpner winced. "That still hurts you know."

"Now," Erasa speculated, "all we gotta do is think of a way to get Gohan to take off his shirt while Videl is around."

"Erasa!"

* * *

Gohan looked down at the tag sticking out of the front of his shirt with annoyance. Of all the days to have a wardrobe malfunction. He glanced out of the corner of his eye.

Videl.

His heart beat faster and he looked away quickly. _What's going on with me? Just don't look at her. After all I don't… I mean I didn't… _ He laid his head on the desk dejectedly. _ I can't even think the words to myself. Why is this such a problem all of the sudden?_

"Hey, you alright Brains?"

Gohan jumped slightly. So caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Sharpner come up beside him. "Ah, yeah. Sorry." He looked down at his hands. "I was… just thinking about… stuff."

Sharpner looked at him skeptically. "Ahuh. Listen, Erasa wants to talk to you out in the hallway."

"What does she want to tell me?"

"I dunno man." Sharpner walked back over to his seat beside Videl. "Some kinda homework stuff or whatever." He leaned over to Videl. "So like I was sayin' before I was interrupted…"

Gohan paused, watching Sharpner try to sweet talk Videl. An irrational irritation washed over him. _That shouldn't bother me. Why does it bother me? Sharpner and I are good now. There's no reason to get annoyed over him talking to Videl._ He ran a hand through his unruly black hair and stood from his seat. _Agh. It's got to be hormones. Freaking Fracking Hormones._ He walked down the steps and exited the classroom, senses attuned to Videl and Sharpner's energy.

"Hey Gohan!" Erasa called to him from down the hallway.

"Hi Erasa." Gohan walked up to her, unsuccessfully trying to ignore his current annoyance. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well cutie," Erasa sauntered up to him, "I caught you eavesdropping on our conversation about the Gold Fighter."

Gohan tensed. _She noticed?_ "Oh… Well I was-"

"And I couldn't help but notice that you were super embarrassed to hear us talk about the Gold Fighter and Videl hooking up."

An uncontrollable blush rose up the back of Gohan's neck. "Em-embarrased? Why would I-"

"And I thought to myself, 'why would Gohan be embarrassed about that sort of thing'?"

_OH NO._

Erasa pursed her lips in mock thought. "I'm pretty sure there must be a reason for you to blush so hard when we are talking about Videl dating someone like the Gold Fighter."

_NONONONO. Erasa found me out!_

Illogical terror descended upon the teenage saiyan. _I'm doomed. My school life is ruined. Videl will hunt me down and kill me. Mom will find out and then she'll kill me. _

_I'M DOOMED._

"And then it hit me!" Erasa stuck her finger in his face. "You're jealous!"

Gohan's train of thought derailed. "What."

"Don't deny it Gohan." Erasa grinned. "You've fallen for Videl."

In Gohan's brain, two things happened nearly simultaneously. The first was a knee sagging relief. His secret was safe. Erasa didn't know that he was the Gold Fighter. The second response, however, was a searing blush that stretched over his cheeks and down his collar.

She wasn't… completely off target.

"Haha," he forced a laugh, "Wh-where'd you get that idea Erasa? I don't-"

"Don't bother trying to deny it Gohan!" Erasa giggled. "It's as plain as the nose on your face." Gohan's eyes widened almost comically. He started stuttering some kind of disagreement, but was silenced as Erasa held up her hand. "Be honest with yourself Gohan. Do you like Videl?"

"I… u-uh…" Gohan felt a bead of sweat work its way down his already burning face. "It's just… I…" _What do I say?! I can't tell her I don't because I don't know if I do! I don't even think I'm allowed to like her like that! After all, Videl is … She's… _Gohan's posture relaxed as he thought. _She's amazing. Strong and courageous. Smart. Lovely. Kind. Brave. Righteous. Caring. Beautiful. Insightful. Gorgeous. Stubborn. Brutally honest. _He tilted his head to the side. _Am I being honest with myself? Do I like Videl?_

_I guess… Yeah._

_I do._

Everything took on a sudden clarity. _I honestly like Videl._

_I like Videl._ A shy smile spread over his lips. _Yeah! I like Videl!_

The more he thought about it, the better he felt! _I like her! I like Videl!_

Gohan was feeling quite light actually. It was like putting down a heavy load after carrying it for a long while. His entire body seemed to float. Thus was the sense of relief. It is always good to be honest with yourself.

"Oh yeah." Erasa smiled at his face. "You like her." He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "You look as if you're walking on cloud nine." He looked down at the floor.

And dropped as inconspicuously as he could to the ground. Gohan felt so good, he actually started to lift off the tiled hallway. He took a few deep breaths to calm down and looked back to the smug looking blond in front of him.

"Yeah." He said sheepishly. "I guess I do kind of like her."

"EEEEE!" Erasa squealed. "I KNEW it! My intuition is never wrong!"

Gohan coughed. "Ah... yeah. Right." _Hopefully not about alter egos though._

"Now, all you have to do is show her how strong you really are!"

He looked at her aghast. "Whaaaaat? No way!"_ Not a snowball's chance in HIFL._

"Why not? It's not like you are really hiding anything important." Erasa pouted. "You show her what you can really do and she'll be all over you!"

_That's what I'm trying to avoid! _"Erasaaaah." Gohan rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She doesn't really want to get to know me that much. Heck you barely knew me enough to say hello in the morning."

"You're just sore that she likes the Gold Fighter more than she likes you." (is true)

Gohan tensed. _How can she like me better than me? How screwed up is that?!_ "Hey, she doesn't even _like_ me Erasa. We are barely friends at this point. I'm just a kid she knows at school." Saying those words brought Gohan back down to earth. It sunk in that this was going to be a one-sided thing. At least until she figured him out. But then she'd hate him forever. Or blackmail him. Or put him in jail. He slumped at the thought.

"Oh come ON Gohan!" She placed her hands on her hips in a very sassy manner. "And I thought you were supposed to be smart! You show her who you really are and she'll like you just fine! I mean… Look at me and Sharpner! We found out more about you and are, like, your besties!"

"Besties?"

"You know what I mean." She looked up at the young saiyan. "You are cool because you are you. And we like you that way."

_Huh_._ That's a really kind thing to say_._ Doesn't matter much anyway though. As soon as I show my powers, who I am and what I do, I'll be found out. _Gohan sighed heavily. "It's more complicated than that, but I understand what you mean." He smiled and Erasa felt her heart flutter. "Thank you Erasa."

"No problem Gohan." She smiled in return. Gohan really was very handsome. Videl was seriously missing out! She determined then and there to do her best to have Videl see the real Gohan. Or at least tear down her preconceived walls enough to notice the poor guy. Even if it didn't end in a darling love story, they'd be able to be friends without any stereotype crap.

* * *

"So gym the last period today huh?" Sharpner said to Videl. "I heard that we'd be doing some martial arts training." The day had passed uneventfully and Sharpner was looking forward to something breaking up the monotony.

"Yeah. It's all part of the preparation for the 'big day' that everyone's so worked up about." Videl said distractedly. "Not like there's any real competition in this school."

Gohan groaned internally. Keeping a lid on his energy all day had taken every scrap of his concentration. He barely paid attention to the teachers. Now that they were talking about sparring, he felt restless all over again.

"Hey, I'm sure I could give you a good fight."

"Are you kidding? Videl would wipe the floor with you." Erasa commented. "Even if you didn't have the busted arm."

Sharpner frowned. "At least admit that I do pretty well in the boxing ring."

"Yeah, but boxing is only one style of fighting." Videl said. "There are thousands of styles out there. Some of them better than others."

"Huh. Hey Brains," he turned to Gohan, "what style do you use?"

Videl quirked an eyebrow. "Since when does Gohan do martial arts?"

Gohan did a wonderful deer in headlights impression. Sharpner shot him an apologetic look.

_Oooooh crap. Gotta make this vague._ Gohan swallowed nervously. "Oh, uh… I studied it for a while when I was younger."

"Huh." Videl had a thoughtful look on her face. "You certainly don't look like you did any martial arts. You were probably one of those kids who tried it just to be cool before dropping out."

_Hey now._ Gohan bristled with annoyance. _I trained to save humanity! Not to look cool!_

Videl held her hands up in a placating gesture. "Relax Gohan. It's not a bad thing. You just weren't cut out for it."

He looked away from her, eyebrows knit together. "I never dropped out." He said softly.

"Reeeeeally?" Videl smirked. "I doubt you could even hit me with those rubbery arms of yours."

"Lay off Videl!" Erasa spoke up in Gohan's defense. "I bet Gohan is way stronger than you give him credit for!"

"Oh yeah? I'll need some proof before I believe that." Videl leaned back in her chair, still smirking. She'd gotten annoyed with today as well. Sharpner constantly hitting on you can do that to a girl.

Gohan seethed with annoyance. It was not anger per say, but it was a very unsettling feeling. He fought to keep his energy under control. _She hasn't challenged me yet. She hasn't challenged me yet. She hasn't! Keep it together Gohan…_

"How about you spar with him then?" Erasa baited. "Test out how strong he is yourself."

Videl gave Gohan a once over and snorted. "Wouldn't be much of a spar."

_Videl… _Gohan clenched his fists under the desk. _I just discover I like her and this happens. I swear someone's got it in for me._ He thought.

"I mean, Gohan looks like he's never trained a day in his life."

Something in Gohan stopped struggling. Frankly he didn't stop to see what it was. Energy burbled over the lid he was keeping on his power. It ran unchecked through his blood, giving him cause to run wild. Nevertheless, he spoke slowly, voice low and contained. "Why don't you put your money with your mouth is?"

Videl looked to the dark eyed teen in surprise. "What did you say to me?"

Gohan gritted his teeth before speaking again, a little louder this time. "I said, if you're so hyped up on your own strength, why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"

A hush fell over the classroom. The students who had been goofing off until now turned to stare stupidly at Gohan. Did he seriously just challenge the strongest martial artist under Mr. Satan?!

Videl scowled. "Cocky little jerk aren't you?" She was still sore over mistaking his voice for the Gold Fighter's voice. The lack of answers had really gotten under her skin.

"That wasn't an answer." Now it was Gohan's turn to smirk. "Unless you're not up to it."

Videl stared at him. Stunned that quiet little Gohan would say such things. "Do you know who I am? I would break you in half!"

"Well according to the laws of Physics, it's impossible," Gohan leaned forward, eyes glinting, "for someone as short as you."

The crowd watching let out an audible gasp. Erasa's jaw dropped. Sharpner's eyes bugged out. Nobody but nobody dares to mention Videl's height! That was one of the cardinal rules of not-getting-your-butt-beat-to-the-moon-and-back!

Gohan, however, stared Videl down unafraid.

Videl matched his gaze's intensity, quivering with fury. "Alright then." She said, grinning suddenly. "If you're so confident, meet me after gym in the ring. I'll take you on." She cracked her knuckles forebodingly. "Just remember, you asked for this yourself, _Gohan_." She stood to her full height and started walking down to the front of the classroom.

"Challenge accepted, _Videl_." Gohan said quietly.

Videl reached the front of the class. The teacher sat there, looking just as stunned as the other students. "Do you mind if I head to the gym early?" She asked the teacher politely. She glanced over her shoulder, cerulean eyes locking with the depths of Gohan's onyx ones. Those caught between the glare could feel the fire sparked between those two. "I'd like to limber up a bit before we get started."

The teacher looked wide eyed at Videl and nodded. "Thanks." she said before leaving the room.

As soon as the door shut behind her, pandemonium broke out.

"Is he nuts?!"

"Nerd-boy's gone crazy!"

"You got some balls man!"

"My money's on Videl!"

"Betcha that kid don't last ten seconds!"

"Someone better call the hospital in advance! Tell them to get a body bag!"

Amidst all the hullabaloo, Erasa glared angrily at Gohan. "What was THAT?! I thought you said you _liked_ her!"

Gohan looked at Erasa questioningly. "And?"

"You numbskull!" She whacked him over the head with her textbook. "You don't challenge your crush to a duel! That's like, rule number one or something!"

"Good Kami alive! That was the best!" Sharpner laughed. "You have a real way with the ladies, Brains!"

"Sharpnerrrr!" Erasa reached over and hit him on his good arm. "This is not a good thing! I didn't expect him to say all that stuff when I…"

Gohan looked at her suddenly. "When you what?"

"When she asked me to help her bait Videl into fighting you." Sharpner supplied. "She was supposed to come after you. Not the other way around. Then she'd see you in action, mend your wounds, become best buddies, yadda yadda yadda." He looked over at the fuming blond girl. "Great plan by the way."

"It _was_ a great plan!" Erasa complained. "But then Gohan had to grow a backbone all of the sudden and ruin it!" Her glare locked onto Gohan. "Of all times, why would you challenge Videl right now?"

"Easy. I got tired of listening to…" Gohan stopped mid-sentence. His face went pale. "I just challenged Videl."

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "Yes genius. You did."

"I just challenged Videl to a fight."

"Yeahhuh. And got her pretty steamed to boot." Erasa supplemented.

"Heh. Aheh heh." He chuckled lightly. "Sweet Kami alive I just challenged Videl to a fight."

Sharpner and Erasa exchanged questioning looks. "You alright there Gohan?"

"Heh. Aha ha." He slumped back in his chair. "I'm dead."

* * *

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get out of a potential plot hole.  
Seriously though. I know what everyone is gonna say.  
"Why didn't Videl figure it out already?!"  
To which my answer is simply, "SHE'S IN DENIAL." Seriously.  
And because I didn't want to end the story so early. There is still a ton of fun to be had!

***ALSO BONUS GAME!***  
Because I have hit over 100 followers and 100 favorites, Imma do a thing!  
You guys have been very supportive, so I want to add a bonus blurb to the end of the next chapter. However, it'll be written based on popular demand. You guys choose which one you'd rather read about. Pick one of the following comedic shorts.

1\. Goku's briefing in Otherworld.  
2\. Vegeta's language lesson.  
3\. Gohan going to Krillin for girl advice.  
4\. MYSTERY

You don't have to write a review to tell me (even though those are nice), you can just send me a PM with your choice.

Sorry it took so long to update. I re-wrote this at least 3 times beginning to end.  
This one is the one I was okay with. The other two had action happening too fast.  
READ AND REVIEW for the lovely things. Thanks for reading!


	15. Plans Backfire

**DISCLAIMER: **Listen, I may love Toriyama's work, but I cannot write a good a storyline as he can. All credit to where credit is due!

Ch. 15: Plans Backfire

* * *

Videl sat on the sidelines, watching the match unfold before her with disinterest. The two students fighting in the makeshift ring were flailing around like idiots. Most of their attacks, if you could call them legitimate attacks, never connected. Horrible stances, terrible 'action' noises, they had nothing but useless movements and were embarrassingly bad.

_This is awful._ Videl thought disgustedly. She wasn't being facetious when she said that no one in this school was any good at fighting. Most of the students, whilst being fans of the sport, didn't want to devote any further time to it. Granted there were some who were pretty good, some of her dad's students, but they weren't in the same gym class as her. Some days she was pretty sure that they didn't want to spar with her anyway.

_They're terrible. _Videl winced as the 'martial arts' dissolved into a fist fight. _Why did dad think this was a good idea?_ She grumbled under her breath about publicity stunts. Her dad was always pulling something like this.

Cerulean eyes flicked over to where her friends were sitting. Erasa and Sharpner looked like they were giving Gohan a pep talk. Gohan himself, dressed properly in his baggy gym attire, looked nothing like the confident boy she saw in the classroom. He was pale. Very stressed looking. _Serves him right._ Videl thought smugly as she got up from her seat. _I'm not going to go easy on him. He talked a big game, but he's going down. _She went back into the girl's locker room intent on changing out of her gym uniform early. She preferred to wear her fighting gear if at all possible.

_Who does he think he is anyway!? Talking smack like that! _Videl mused as she stripped out of her gym clothes. _That's terribly uncharacteristic of Gohan._ _It's like he was a completely different person all of a sudden._ She pulled on a pair of black spandex shorts. _I guess I was right in thinking he was hiding something. But knowing a little bit of martial arts doesn't make him some kind of superhero._

"Feh." She shrugged into a loose purple t-shirt. "Erasa was exaggerating. There's no way Gohan is stronger than I am." She smirked to herself. "I just hope I don't break him too hard."

Videl slipped into a long white tank that fit over her t-shirt. She pulled on her signature fingerless gloves and strapped them tight to her fists. She threw a few punches at the air, satisfied with the snappy sound they made. A few kicks followed the punches and soon, Videl was going through one of her father's warm up katas.

_That punk is gonna get what's coming to him. _She thought as her punches and kicks beat the air. _I've wanted to do this for a long time._ And she had. Short of finding out his secrets, she had wanted to test his strength. The punching game at the arcade had been a complete failure. Gohan whiffed completely. This was a much more accurate test.

Some part of her felt the excitement of competition. The thrill of going against someone who dared challenge your skills. Gohan had been the first one to challenge her in a long time, barring the occasional bad guy. Videl looked forward to beating the crap out of him. Especially since he was so confident even though he had no punching prowess. (ignorance is bliss)

Videl finished the kata with ease. She smirked and walked back out to the gym. "Bring it on."

* * *

Meanwhile, Gohan was having problems.

"This is a bad idea." He muttered. "This is SUCH a bad idea."

"Don't worry Gohan. I'm sure she won't hurt you that bad." Sharpner tried to encourage him.

Gohan buried his head in his hands. "Not what I'm worried about Sharp."

"Don't sweat it Gohan." Erasa spoke up. "You are way stronger than she thinks you are. You have the element of surprise."

"Yeah, but since when does Videl underestimate her opponent?" Gohan countered sullenly. "She'll come out, guns blazing, not stopping to ask questions or anything."

Sharpner frowned. "How do you know that? You've never seen her fight before."

"UUUGHGHGH." Gohan groaned. "I'm so dead." He leaned back on the bleachers. "I'm not supposed to fight at school. Mom said I have to try to… blend in."

"Wait… your mom asked you not to fight at school?" Sharpner's eyebrows drew together. "What are you, some kind of thug?"

"What?" Gohan shook his head. "No no… It's like this. Remember when you asked me what style of martial arts I use?" Sharpner nodded and Gohan took a deep breath. "I've mastered at least 3 different styles that I have been training in since I was…" he thought for a moment, "Five? No… I had to be younger than that. Four?" He shrugged. "I was really young."

Sharpner stared wide eyed at his friend. "Huh."

"So mom said I'm not supposed to show off." _It was more like 'don't break your school', but that can be considered semantics at this point._

Erasa giggled. "You're such a momma's boy. I don't think you're the type of guy to show off anyways." She pushed his shoulder in the direction of boy's locker room. "Go ahead and change. I'm pretty sure they have training gi in there you can use."

"Aheh... yeah." Gohan stood from his seat and walked down the bleachers. _Wearing gi. Right. Sure. Just show everybody my body. Videl will find me out faster than she can throw a punch._ He slunk into the locker room, dejectedly. _How am I going to get out of this one?_

He leaned up against a locker and thought about it seriously. _I can't just back out. I mean, I am the one who challenged her after all. Even if I was hyped up on hormones. Backing out would be dishonorable._ He winced. _And it means that Videl would be gunning for me the rest of my high school career._ That option was out.

_Hmm… What can I do?_

_Maybe I could use the drunken fist!_ He perked up. _Yeah! Make it seem like I am just super lucky! Master Roshi used it when he fought Dad as a little kid and Dad told me that Kami used it when he was in the world tournament to hide his identity!_ Gohan frowned. _But would Videl buy it? She's seen enough martial arts competitions to know what it is. _Using the drunken fist was a shaky option. He'd never been drunk before and only used it a few times himself. But it was an art of misdirection, so maybe he could tweak it a little.

…

_I could throw the fight._

Gohan stiffened at the thought. _Throw the fight. Let Videl win._

The thought circulated through his brain. Involuntarily his fists clenched. His muscles bunched. He straightened to his full height and glowered at an invisible enemy. The loose lid on his power burbled menacingly.

_No._

The mere idea of throwing the fight made his blood boil. _I want to win._ Gohan had been swept up in a wash of conflicting emotions this entire time. This was one of the times that they agreed on something. Holding back had taken a toll on his body and mind so much that everything wanted release. If only a little bit.

_I will not throw this fight._

Gohan immediately came to his senses. _GAAH! But if I don't throw the fight, how can I keep my secrets?! _He slouched again. _I'll win the fight, but I've got to make it seem like a fluke. Make it close! I'll use the drunken fist technique as much as I can._

_But… if she catches onto it… when she catches onto it._ The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. His onyx eyes looked out towards the arena. _Well, I'll think of something._

* * *

A large crowd of students chatted excitedly on the bleachers. Word had spread that Videl was gonna pound some nerd kid for challenging her. Everyone was eager to see a good butt kicking. What's the use of going to high school if you don't see a good fight now and again?

Videl was already inside the ring. She casually stretched her muscles, listening to the excited chatter and encouragements her classmates called out. She had every confidence about winning. Positive that this wouldn't be much of a fight to begin with. She glanced over towards the opposite end of the gymnasium

Gohan emerged from the locker rooms looking nervous and wearing the same baggy gym clothes he had on earlier. His nervousness was not lost on the student body. As he walked towards the ring, students alternated between heckling him and whispering amongst themselves.

"What was he thinking?"

"Poor guy. He won't last 10 seconds."

"Somebody get the hospital on speed dial."

Even though he tensed at their comments, Gohan stoically ignored them. He took careful, measured steps to the ring. He bowed once to his opponent and to the referee before stepping onto the mat.

The referee was actually just the gym teacher who stayed around to make sure no one was seriously injured. He had a hot date for later that night and an incident on school grounds would make him extremely late. He also figured on the fact that this wouldn't take long.

"Okay you two." The mustachioed gym teacher said. "I want this to be a clean fight. Standard tournament rules apply. If you give up, are knocked out or down for a count of ten, or touch the ground outside the ring, you lose. Because this is a school match, I'm also adding a three knockdown rule." He looked over to the glowering Videl. "If either of you seriously injures the other, you both get suspension." He switched his eyes to Gohan, who was squirming uncomfortably under Videl's hateful glare. "Now, come to the center and show your opponent proper respect."

The opponents walked to the center of the ring. They placed their hands together and bowed. As they straightened Videl grinned cockily at Gohan.

"At least try to give me a workout today, _Gohan_."

The dark eyed teen stiffened. He took a deep breath before looking steadily back at her.

"I'll do my best, _Videl_."

Videl grit her teeth and turned back to her starting line. Once there, she whirled around and settled into her fighting stance. Gohan remained motionless, looking at her. His dark eyes were unreadable. After a moment, he sighed and backed up to his line. The dark eyed teen settled into an amateur fighter's stance.

Videl held back a groan. _No challenge here at all_. His obvious yet clumsy stance showed that he really did have a little fighting experience. She narrowed her eyes at Gohan. _But that meant he'd been lying at the arcade_. Videl decided then to end the fight as quickly as she could to pump him for answers. Nobody lies to Videl and gets away with it.

The gym teacher moved off the mat and held up his hand. He looked from one student to the other and with a broad sweeping motion, brought his hand down.

"Begin!"

Videl dashed towards Gohan at top speed. By the look on his face, he'd expected nothing less. She launched herself into the air and spun around in a mighty roundhouse kick.

And hit nothing.

She landed behind him, bewildered. As she turned, she figured out what happened. Gohan had started forward towards her and tripped over his own shoelaces. _Talk about your dumb luck._ Annoyed, Videl raced forward again to catch him unawares, but as he leaned down to tie his shoe, his left foot stuck out and tangled in Videl's own feet. She let out a squawk and lost her balance. Luckily, she wasn't too startled and caught herself before she fell.

Gohan straightened hurriedly. "Sorry." He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Psh." Videl glared at him and circled him more slowly. Gohan settled back into a fighting stance and moved toward her. He frowned in concentration and launched an attack. It was a painfully awkward punch. She grinned smugly and let fly her own punch. As his swing missed her, the force of it sent him spinning around. As a result, Videl missed her hit and got an elbow in the ribs for her efforts.

"Ack!" Gohan regained his balance and bowed to Videl. "Sorry!"

"Idiot!" She advanced on him, angry that he caught her with his elbow. "Don't apologize in a fight!"

"Ah, sorry." Gohan bowed again, dodging the kick she sent by a hairsbreadth. As Videl moved back around to punch him, he brought his head up and forward.

As if by sheer accident, his head met her chin with a resounding crack. Electricity ran through her frame. She rocked back, stars in her eyes. He himself reeled back, clutching his head. They both hit the floor simultaneously with a dull thump.

"Down!" The teacher called out. "One down each!" The students watching looked at each other with astonishment. This kid was failing so badly that Videl couldn't even land a hit?

"Augh!" Videl got to her feet, rubbing her chin. "What is _with_ you?!"

"What do you mean Videl?!" Gohan hollered back, still holding his head. "Geez! That hurt me too you know!"

"Just shut up and fight me!" Videl crouched back into a fighting stance. Something was off about this. He didn't know how to fight, but somehow was evading every injury. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated on his movements.

Gohan staggered upright, swaying gently as if the hit to his head concussed him. He shook his head and brought his fists up in a semblance of a fighting pose. Videl watched as he circled her slowly.

She was ready when he jumped forward to attack. Videl nimbly dodged the kick that he sent towards her chin with a backwards sway. She watched as he overbalanced and tried to compensate by flailing his arms out in every direction. The crime fighter moved out of the way of his movements. Yet, even as he was flailing around, one of his feet inexplicably caught hers and she tripped.

Videl hit the mat. "Down!" called the gym teacher, slightly amused. Most other students were giggling or outright laughing at the sight of the two combatants tripping all over each other.

Videl steamed silently, rising to her feet. What the hell was going on here?! _This guy is doing something fishy!_ She moved towards him and threw out a few jabs. He awkwardly moved backwards out of range. Her eyes tracked his overbalanced movements. Everything he did seemed exaggerated. Eyes narrowed, she aimed punch at his chest right as he regained his stance.

Gohan's eyes widened in surprise. He leaned to the side to dodge, wheeling his arms in a comedic fashion. Videl's attack missed and laughter erupted from the audience. The teen boy hopped about on one foot briefly before putting both feet on the ground and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

_I knew it!_ She had been watching his movements carefully. They were incredibly scripted and showed an amazing flexibility. This guy was actually using a technique!

_What a lousy trick._

She smirked at Gohan, her voice filled with arrogance. "Well well. Who woulda thought that you actually know some martial arts after all?"

"Well I didn't lie to you…"

"But you know Gohan." She frowned hard at him. "That trick only works on me once."

Gohan flinched and Videl knew she got it right. Some part of her, deep down, respected him for it. She only knew about the drunken fist technique from watching old tournament matches. How he managed to do it so well was beyond her. Then again, he really studied hard.

She shook off meaningless thoughts. Gohan advanced on her again, swinging a massive right straight that was telegraphed so blatantly, Videl could've dodged it in her sleep. But as she sidestepped it, she prepared herself to counter the unseen blow that followed it. It came just as she expected. Her raised guard blocked the elbow sent at her jaw.

Gohan caught his balance awkwardly and moved back to the line. Videl asked, "Where'd you learn the drunken fist technique anyway?"

Gohan smiled shyly. "Ahah, well I've never been drunk, so I improvised it a little. I learned it... from a friend."

"Huh. Not bad," Videl smirked, "but like I said, that won't work on me anymore." She lowered her posture and charged him. He threw out a feeble punch, but Videl ducked underneath it and brought herself up close to him. She rose quickly, pulling herself flush against his body. Videl could feel the warmth radiating from underneath his baggy clothes.

Her cerulean eyes met his obsidian ones. She smiled. "Hi."

Immediately, Gohan's face turned an unexpected shade of red. Before he could react further, Videl pushed him quite roughly. Off balance, he staggered back. Soon, poor bewildered Gohan found himself flat on his back with a grinning Videl pinning him down with one confident foot.

"Down!" The ref called. "Two downs each." The student body laughed loudly. She got him good that time! A few high fived and called encouragements to Videl. She waved to them grinning. That felt good.

Gohan easily wrested Videl's foot from his chest. "Hey! That wasn't fair!"

"Oh? And using the drunken fist was?"

"Yeah! It's a legitimate martial arts technique!" Gohan argued, face still burning. "That was…"

"Just using my opponent's weakness against him. It's classical fighting strategy." Videl lowered her posture. "Told you that you wouldn't be able to handle it."

Gohan's face darkened, but he got to his feet and used the same stance as before. Videl didn't wait for him to attack. She charged at him. This time, Gohan sent out a rather normal kick. Videl dodged under it and swept his leg. He hopped up to evade it. Videl, expecting this, got super close to him again as he landed. She didn't wait for his reaction and threw a point blank uppercut.

It hit him square on the jaw and he toppled back, teetering on the edge of the mat. Videl shook out her fist and watched him struggle with his balance. _Dang but he has a hard head! He should have been knocked out after that one! _Her knuckles were red and smarting. _Still, this was a short fight. No challenge at all._ Disregarding her smarting hand, Videl spoke.

"What a waste of my time."

Gohan, who had been trying hard to not topple over the edge of the mat, froze in all his movements. He was standing on tiptoe, leaning far out over the edge. Arms akimbo and head tilted back, it looked as if he was frozen in time. Slowly, methodically, he set both feet back on the mat. His arms lowered to his sides and his head bowed. He was perfectly still.

Videl cocked her head at him. _That was odd. Could have sworn he was about to fall out._ But no matter. Whatever Gohan did, strange or not, would only yield the same conclusion. His loss. She folded her arms across her chest and smirked. "You comin' back for more? Seriously?" She looked at the audience and gave a theatrical sigh. Videl was pleased to hear laughter. She turned back to Gohan.

To her surprise, Gohan was no longer slouched over. He had straightened to his full height. She hadn't quite realized how tall her classmate was. Straight backed, his burning black eyes drilled into her. Videl immediately felt self conscious.

She frowned at him and tried to hide her discomfort. "What's the matter? Finally going to try something?" She tossed her pigtails with a flip of her head. "Well, I guess I could let you try again. Not that it'll actually do anything." He was unnerving her and she was doing her best to disguise it.

Gohan clenched his jaw and smoothly shifted into a fighting stance. Videl looked on, surprised. This was a stance she'd never seen before. Perfectly balanced, Gohan simultaneously held up a steady guard and flexible attack posture. Before, during the drunken fist, he was goofy and unstable. Now his presence emanated seriousness. The female crime fighter settled into her own stance and, with her own guard in place, studied it.

Minutes passed. The audience around them watched on in uneasy silence. Why weren't they moving? Videl should have taken him out by now! Only those close to the ring, namely Sharpner, Erasa, the ref/gym teacher, and a few nameless others, could feel the intense pressure radiating from Gohan. Something had changed with the teen. Like a missile locked on target, Gohan looked ready to blast off at a moment's notice.

Videl began to sweat slightly. _It… It's perfect!_ She looked at Gohan in wonder. _There are no inconsistencies in his stance! No openings whatsoever!_ What was going on? This kid who couldn't throw a punch to save his life, knew a stance this good? All the while she studied him, those deep, dark eyes bored deep into her soul.

She shook off her hesitations. _No stance is that perfect! There are probably inconsistencies everywhere and I am just too pissed off to notice._ Videl narrowed her eyes at Gohan. _I'll attack him. You can't keep the semblance of perfection in the midst of a real attack. Let's just see how watertight his claims are._

The crime fighter charged Gohan, throwing out tight jabs as she neared him. The jabs were nudged gently to the side by Gohan's leading hand. Nothing touched him. Frustrated, Videl sent out rapid-fire combos aimed at his face. The dark eyed teen barely moved, redirecting the blows with his hands or moving out of range of her attacks by a hairsbreadth. His movements were gentle and flowing. It contrasted completely with his attitude.

Videl began to sweat heavily. Her breaths came in shallow pants. She skipped back a few paces and started kicking at Gohan rapidly. He blocked each and every one of her kicks. She watched him all the while. _He's not even sweating._ She retreated._ He's not even sweating!_ Videl's eyes widened. _This is crazy! How is he doing this?!_

Suddenly, Gohan was two inches in front of her. Videl froze. She didn't even see him move! How…

A rare, confident smile graced Gohan's face. "Hello." His voice was deep. His eyes were fathomless. They glimmered with a strange light. Videl's heart beat even faster inside her chest. Her face flushed a cherry red. Her jaw dropped and recognition flashed in her eyes if only for a second. The next thing she knew, she had stumbled back and away from the teen.

"OUT!"

Videl looked down. She had stepped outside the ring. "Shit." She breathed and looked back up at Gohan. Gone was the confident stranger. Gohan slouched in obvious relief.

The referee moved into the ring and thumped a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Winner, Gohan." He said, slightly amused. "Now beat it. I've got a… staff meeting to get to." He was already running behind schedule. That match took an unexpectedly long amount of time. He still had to wax his mustache!

Videl stared openly at Gohan. _Who… is he? _The boy didn't seem to notice as he dashed out of the ring and made a beeline for the locker room. Sharpner and Erasa close on his heels. Videl moved to go after them, but was soon surrounded. She tried to ignore the consolations of her classmates.

"Wow! What a fluke!"

"That guy just sucked so hard, you couldn't even hit him!"

"Gohan was just too lucky. You gonna ask for a rematch?"

"You really took it easy on him Videl. You're such a good person!"

Videl whirled on them. "SHUT UP!" She hadn't been going easy on him. She wanted to end it as quickly as possible! But he surprised her. How did Gohan know about the drunken fist technique? How did he dodge every attack she sent?! How did he get so close to her without her knowing?! He really did know martial arts! He really was stronger than she had anticipated! She underestimated him.

And she lost.

"Everybody just SHUT UP!" Videl ran from the crowd and straight into the boy's locker room.

* * *

"OH MY KAMI!" Erasa squealed. "You did it! You really did it Gohan!"

"Erasa, you really shouldn't be in the boy's locker room."

"AAAAH! Who cares! You did it!" She waved her hands in the air. "You totally owned!"

Gohan blushed. "I didn't even hit her with any real attack. I even messed up my own plan at the end there."

"How can you say that?! You moved so fast I couldn't even see you!" Sharpner grinned ecstatically. "You messed up her rhythm so bad! Did you see her face at the end? Oh man! She's gonna be gunning for you now!" He thumped Gohan on the back. "Way to go!"

"Gunning for me?" Gohan's face went pale. "What do you mean?"

"You got her good! She'll totally want a rematch." Erasa smiled mischievously. "She'll want to get her hands ALL over you!"

Gohan went from pale to bright red in 2 seconds flat. Erasa giggled madly. Sharpner just rolled his eyes and spoke. "It means she isn't going to talk down to you anymore." He threw a shirt at Gohan. "Now go get changed before Erasa forces you to strip in front of her."

"Aww Sharpner. You ruin everything!" Erasa pouted as Gohan scurried into the shower area of the locker room, clothes in hand. "You've seen what he can do! He took Videl out so easy, I just gotta see what kind of body he's got!"

"Tough luck." Sharpner leaned against a locker casually. "He'll be way too embarrassed. I expected Gohan to be awesome, but I am a little surprised at how that match went. I was sure that Videl was at least going to break one of his arms."

"I still might."

Sharpner nearly fell over in surprise. "Videl!"

The raven haired crime fighter stalked into the boy's locker room. "Where is he?!" She demanded, voice hard.

A sweat broke out on Sharpner's forehead. "Uh… He's… he's uh…"

"He's changing right now." Erasa motioned over her shoulder. The sounds of running water could be heard in the other room. "He got too sweaty in that spar and is taking a shower or whatever." She set a restraining hand on Videl's shoulder as Videl moved towards the bathing area. "But since I can't get to see him shirtless, you can't either!"

"Like hell I can't!" Videl shook off Erasa's hand and continued stomping to the shower room. "He wasn't even sweating anyway!"

"Oh I see how it is!" Erasa called after her. "Why don't you just announce to everyone that you wanna see Gohan naked?"

Videl was back in Erasa's face in a flash. "Shut up shut up! I do not!"

"You totally do."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"DO NOT!"

"Then why do you wanna get to him right this second? In the boy's locker room?" Erasa smirked at the redness on Videl's face. "Seems kinda fishy to me."

"AAAAGH!" Videl slammed her fist into a nearby locker, denting it. "You're insufferable!"

"I calls it like I sees it." Erasa folded her arms. "Tell me why you wanna find Gohan so bad."

Videl grit her teeth and paced back and forth angrily. "Why didn't Gohan just TELL me he knew martial arts?!"

"You didn't believe it when he told you today." Sharpner huffed. "Why would you have believed him earlier?"

"Well… Shut up!" Videl stopped her pacing to glare at the blond boy. "I told you that I suspected him earlier!"

"So? You said it yourself, there's no proof one way or the other."

"You knew! You two knew this and you didn't tell me!" Fuming, Videl resumed pacing. "I knew he was hiding something!"

Erasa placed herself directly in front of Videl. "Of course he was hiding it from you! You had been dogging the poor boy from day one! The new kid didn't want people to like him for how he looked or what he could do!" She set on hand on her hip and adopted a very sassy stance. "You accused him of crazy stuff and he didn't trust you! You then wrote him off as some nerd when you couldn't get him to spill his guts. Then you wouldn't see him as anything else even though he tried to be your friend! Now that he's finally shown his stuff, you demand answers! We even tried to tell you about it and you didn't believe us! That is a SUPER jerk move Videl!"

Shocked, and slightly awed that her best friend stood up to her, Videl took a step back and sat down on a bench between the lockers. Her eyes were wide as what Erasa said sank in. She let out a deep sigh and rested her head in her hands.

"Sorry Erasa. I just… feel kind of stressed out." Videl chuckled wryly. "No new leads and then this. I… really underestimated Gohan and lost because of it." She looked up and smiled lopsidedly. "To tell the truth, I think I may have gone a bit crazy from this case I'm working."

Sharpner frowned. "You mean the whole Gold Fighter thing?"

"Yeah. Because I was out so late, I think I'm even starting to hear things." She rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "You know, I coulda sworn that I heard the Gold Fighter drop the accent right before he left. I wish I had some physical evidence to go off of, but..." She shook her head, chuckling nervously. "Anyway, when I came in today, I thought Gohan sounded just like him." She smiled weakly at her friends. "Crazy right?"

Sharpner looked to Erasa. She stared at him, eyes wide. He swallowed nervously before turning back to Videl. "Yeah. Totally crazy. You were probably hearing things."

"Yeah. The Gold Fighter saved lives. No way Gohan could pull off something like that." Videl leaned back against the lockers. "Yeah he knows some martial arts, but the Gold Fighter has some serious power behind him."

Sharpner rubbed his arms nervously. He poked Erasa in the ribs with his elbow. She coughed slightly before speaking. "A-anyway, what're you gonna do when you see Gohan?" The water in the other room stopped running. "I think he's about done over there."

"I've gotta make this right with him." Videl smiled, the light coming back into her eyes. "Maybe we could spar again sometime? I still don't think he's stronger than me, but I want to learn how to use the drunken fist technique. We could learn from each other!"

"Ahah… yeah." Sharpner shifted his weight nervously. "That's cool and all, but you girls are still in the men's locker room."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Oh, man up Sharpner. No one is indecent right now anyhow."

The group grew quiet as they heard Gohan's footsteps echo in the locker room. He entered the room dressed in a long sleeved t-shirt and dress slacks. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower, but it still stood up in the air nonetheless. His face was a little red and his eyes were averted from his friends as he walked up.

The dark haired teen stood up and turned to face him. "Hey Gohan."

"H-hey Videl."

Silence.

"…"

"…"

Erasa finally broke the awkward standoff with a yelp. "BLOND MEETING!" She hauled Sharpner by his good arm out of the locker room. "See you guys later!"

The duo watched as their blond friends made their hasty exit before returning to avoiding each other's gaze. A light blush adorned each of their faces.

"… So… uh…" Videl started out, becoming inexplicably shy, "do you… wanna grab some ice cream?"

Gohan looked at her in surprise. "You're… not mad?"

"No." Videl blushed harder. "Well… I mean, I was at first. But… I've been a real jerk and kinda deserved it."

"Oh… no it… it was beginner's luck. Really." Gohan's face got redder. "I just… you know." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"No… no it was…" Videl looked up and caught his eyes. "You're really good. I seriously underestimated you." She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry I treated you that way Gohan."

Heart beating rapidly, Gohan paused. After a few moments, he smiled. "I forgive you."

Videl ignored her own rapid heartbeats and nodded. "Thanks."

"Yeah."

"…"

"… So, ice cream?"

"Is food all you ever think about?"

"No. But it sure sounds good right about now."

Videl chuckled, walking out of the locker room. "Can't argue with that."

* * *

A/N: INDEED.  
Sorry about the late-ish update. This chappy has gone through a warzone. Lotsa changes. Plus, I got me a new job! *confetti* It's taken a chunk out of my writing time.

AND NOW…  
BY POPULAR DEMAND…  
I PRESENT TO YOU…

*** Vegeta's Language Lesson ***

Vegeta tossed Gohan carelessly into the gravity chamber. He ignored Gohan's protests and spoke gruffly. "Alright brat. Let's get this over with as fast as possible. _Takže sednout a držet hubust._"  
(So sit down and shut up.)

Gohan stared blankly at Vegeta. "What."

Vegeta grunted in annoyance. "Repeat after me. _Já jsemstyn klaunam a nemůže bojovat zae blbost_."  
(I am the son of a clown and can't fight for crap.)

Gohan screwed up his face. "Jah… semsen…"

"Ugh." Vegeta facepalmed. "_Neltze ho ani pořádně uraziet_." He took a deep breath before stalking over to the control panel. "You will repeat the things I say until you achieve the proper sounds. If you fail, I will attack you."  
(Can't even insult him properly.)

"Wait, Vegeta that's not…"

"_Prèpavte tse_." Immediately the gravity in the room increased tenfold.  
(Prepare yourself)

Gohan grunted under the strain before adjusting to it. Vegeta stalked around to face him. His voice was deep, his eyes were challenging, his smirk was arrogant.

"_Ah, Eh, Eee, Hoh, Ouu."_  
(nonsense)

"Ah…"

A fist flew out and caught Gohan on the side of the head. "Wrong." Vegeta said gruffly. "Again."

"Hey! That's not-"

Another blow to the face. "Again."

Gohan's eyebrows drew together in annoyance. "_Ah-_." He said, voice slightly deeper.

Vegeta's fist stopped short. "Better." He returned to his starting position. "_Eh._"

"Eyh." Gohan dodged a kick. "_Eh!_ I meant _Eh!_ This is a language lesson! Not an excuse to spar!"

Vegeta's voice was dangerous. "Are you complaining about my methods, _boy_?"

Gohan swallowed nervously. "No…"

"Then do as I say." Vegeta growled. "_Eee._"

"E-_Eee._"

The saiyan prince scowled. "_Hoh._"

"_Hoh-._"

"_Ouu._"

"_Ouuuuuuuu-._" Gohan squeaked slightly.

Vegeta launched himself into an attack. "Again!"

This went on for a while before Gohan got most of the primary sounds down pat. The improv spar had riled him up enough that he was forced to focus on the sounds. Vegeta was honestly surprised at his quick uptake. To disguise it, he frowned. "You're still too high. Speak from the back of the throat. Bring it up from deep within your center." He abandoned his fighting stance to sit on the floor in a meditation position. "_Szíla._"  
(Power)

Gohan copied his position. He took a deep breath and imagined his voice coming up from the center of his body. "_Szila._"

An energy blast singed off a lock of Gohan's hair. "Again."

Gohan growled, his power level rising. "_Szíla._" He said, voice ringing out in a rich baritone.

Vegeta nodded approvingly. "That's better. Now, _řád_."  
(honor)

"_řád_."

"Good. _Váhan_."  
(gravity)

"_Váhan_."

Vegeta grunted his satisfaction. He thought for a moment. Gohan had no idea what he was saying… What if he…  
"_Miluju palashinki._"  
(I love pancakes.)

"_Miluju palashinki._" Gohan raised an eyebrow at Vegeta. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing. It is for you to practice the sounds." Vegeta spun away from Gohan and grinned gleefully. He was finally able to repeat sentences. "_Jsem tak slabosskýt._"  
(I am so wimpy)

"_Jsem tak slabosskýt._"

He sniggered. "_A ubohé._"  
(and pathetic)

"_A ubohé._"

"_Nosím dámskét spodnín prádlo._"  
(I wear ladies underwear.)

"_N… nosím dámskét spodnín prádlo._"

"pffffffffffffffffff…" Vegeta held in his laughter. "_Mám nêkolik párun._"  
(I own several pairs.)

"_Mám neh…nêkolik párun._" Gohan struggled.

Vegeta's amusement grew further. Just short of outright laughing, he tossed another in for good measure. "_Koule jsou inertnek._"  
(The balls are inert.)

"_Koule jsou inertnek._" Gohan got a curious look on his face. "Hey, I think I'm finally getting it! _Koule jsou inertnek!_"  
(The balls are inert, The balls are inert!)

"HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaahahaha!" Vegeta almost doubled over in laughter. This was too good.

Gohan glared at him indignantly. "Hey! I thought I did a good job!"

He was still chuckling as he straightened. "_Alesproň se zlepstuje._" He turned back to the saiyan teen. "Alright brat. Saiyago comes from deep inside your core. Never forget that. It is a primal tongue of your ancestors." Vegeta's eyes closed as he nodded his assent. "You couldn't fool anyone of Vegetasei with that pathetic imitation of yours, but it'll serve your purpose."  
(At least you are improving)

Gohan brightened. "Hey thanks! This is great Vegeta! Thank you!"

"Silence! Now…" Vegeta smirked in that arrogant way of his. "I believe I have some business to attend to."

Gohan's face turned a lovely shade of red. "I said I don't want to know!"

"Tch." Vegeta scoffed, smiling mockingly. "_Jetto proto, že vasen koule jsou inertnek._"  
(It's because your balls are inert.)

Gohan bristled. He could tell that was an insult. "Hey! What's that supposed to-" A sudden beeping sound erupted from his watch. He glanced down at it, noticing the time. "Kami's fiery pants! I'm late!" And away he sped, out the gravity room door and into the night sky.

***END***

A/N: This blurb was a short section I cut out from between chapters 12 and 13. Hope you guys liked it! I think I made Vegeta a little too out of character here, but whatever.  
BTW Vegeta won out over Goku by a landslide! Seriously, are you lot all Veggie fans? IT MAKES SENSE!

As always, rah rah READ AND REEEEVIEW for the lovelies!


	16. Suspicions Revealed

**DISCLAIMER**: I wear my sunglasses at night and run into everything, so no. I don't own the characters or plot or dragonballs.

Ch. 16: Suspicions Revealed

* * *

"Oh Kami, Sharpner! Could Videl be right?!"

"Shhhh!" Sharpner hushed her. He looked around the hallway before ushering her around a corner, farther away from the locker room. "Don't be so loud!"

"I can't help it!" Erasa started to freak out quietly. "It makes sense! Gohan showed up at the same time that the Gold Fighter did!"

"That's just a coincidence Erasa!" Sharpner ran his hands through his blond hair frantically. "It could be just a coincidence!"

"And he blushes so hard when we talk about the Gold Fighter! It's like he's embarrassed or something!"

Sharpner put a hand to his forehead. "Sweet Kami alive! He leaves after Videl does whenever she gets called by the police!"

"He's way stronger than he lets on! You remember how he fixed my locker that one day?!"

"Yeah! He's super ripped!" Sharpner held up his cast, "I even broke my arm on his face! Normal people don't have arm breaking faces!"

"He even told me that he broke that punching machine after we left the arcade last week!"

"He's been hiding his strength, his body, and his athletic abilities this whole time! He told me he does martial arts! And you remember how he owned so hard at baseball when he first got here!?"

"Yeah! He jumped nearly 40 feet in the air!"

"AND we have no idea how he gets to school! He told Videl that he flies! HE MIGHT ACTUALLY FLY!"

"And today! He owned SO HARD in the ring! AGAINST VIDEL! And she's the Champion's DAUGHTER!"

"He said he'd been training, SINCE HE WAS FOUR!" Sharpner flailed his arms in the air. "Who does that?! NOBODY DOES THAT!"

"And his clothes!" Erasa paced the hallway. "He kept showing up half naked, like every time he'd appear on camera! This way we'd never see him in the same outfit in school!" Erasa looked at her friend, eyes wide in shock. "It… it's him!"

"Gohan is the Gold Fighter." Sharpner reeled back to lean against the far wall.

"No way!"

"No freaking way!"

"This is… I can't deal with this!" Erasa sank to the floor next to Sharpner. "How did we not know?!"

Sharpner smiled ruefully. "We didn't take the time to know him. Now that we do…"

"No way no way no waaaaay!"

"No… way…"

They sat in silence for a while. Eyes popping. Brains exploding. Marveling at the conclusion they had reached. Sharpner looked down at Erasa, apprehension on his face. "Well… we could be wrong you know."

"Yeah, maybe. The Gold Fighter is blond. With blue eyes. Gohan is like, the opposite of that." Erasa said.

"Meaning we don't have any proof."

"But there are too many coincidences. He might just… you know, wear a wig or something."

"Nah. You'd be able to see it." Sharpner had experience in this department. "It's totally natural. But if he's able to change his appearance like those guys did at the cell games…" Sharpner stopped short. His expression revealed his revelation. "… Kami above."

"What is it?"

The muscular blond looked down at Erasa in shock. "If he is the Gold Fighter, then he was at the cell games. Our Gohan was at the cell games." He buried his face in his hands. "Oh Kami he was at the cell games."

Erasa held her hands to her mouth. "The delivery boy." She breathed.

"Yeah."

"Oh… Gohan…" Her eyes shown with unshed tears. "He fought against that monster. He… "

"He got to see Cell's defeat, but that had to have left him with some mental issues." Sharpner smiled in an ironic sort of way. "And I was a complete jerk to him."

"No Sharpie," Erasa scooted up against him comfortingly, "we all were." The two blonds were quiet again for a while. The busty blond smiled softly and said, "But you know, if he can change his hair and eye color, then it's totally possible."

Sharpner smirked, the serious moment forgotten momentarily. "I've got to find out his hair secrets."

"I thought we weren't supposed to ask about 'the do'." Erasa giggled.

The tall blond shrugged. "S'aright. One time won't hurt."

"Wow." Erasa leaned her head against Sharpner's shoulder. "We're friends with the delivery boy."

"Yeah. Crazy world huh?"

"So cool!" She squealed.

He grinned. "I know right?!"

"Hey… What are we gonna tell Videl?" Erasa said. "We can't just lie to her all the time."

"Well, since we don't have any proof, I don't think she'd believe us even if we did say something." Sharpner thumped his head back against the wall. "It was just today that she decided to see Gohan as a person instead of a stereotype."

"I'm glad that all worked out though." She stood up suddenly. "OHMYGOSH Sharpner! If we're right, do you know what this means?!"

"What?"

"We got Videl to hook up with Gohan!"

Sharpner looked aghast at Erasa. "Whaaaaaaat? She doesn't like Gohan, she likes the Gold Fi-oooooooh." His head sank down in a slump. "Aw maaaan."

"Ayep. And he's totally got a thing for her. Sorry Sharpie."

Sharpner sighed. He looked sidelong at Erasa. "You know, I'm bummed, but I'm pretty sure I can't compete with him anyways."

"Don't get too down on yourself Sharpie. I'm still here for you."

When Erasa gave him a gentle side-hug, a light seemed to turn on in his eyes. "You… uh… wouldn't wanna go out sometime, would you?" he asked hopefully.

Erasa winked flirtatiously at the boy. "Maybe later sweetie. Right now, we got dramas on our hands!"

"Huh." Did… Did Sharpner just get a girlfriend? (whaaaaat)

Erasa stood to her feet. "Anyway… do we just tell Gohan? Even if we're wrong?"

Sharpner thought about it a moment. "Nah. He might turn into a hermit or something. He's been pretty quiet about the whole thing anyway. Besides the fact that we don't have any proof besides circumstantial stuff."

"Oh Kami… we're turning into Videl." Erasa grinned. "I'll go get my super sleuth on! Go all Holmes on Gohan!" She held up an imaginary magnifying glass to her eye. "I'll find you out yet, mysterious Gold Fighter man!" Sharpner tried to hold in his chuckles. Erasa lowered her hand and spoke. "Do you think there's more about him that we don't know?"

"Sure I do." Sharpner grinned and got to his feet. "He's suddenly one of the most interesting guys in this school. There's got to be more to him than this."

Erasa smiled. "Yeah. He's super cool."

They started walking out of the school when Erasa stopped dead.

"AAAAAAAH!" She shrieked. "I know what he looks like shirtless!"

* * *

Gohan and Videl walked side by side down the street. Both were slightly uncomfortable, but for quite different reasons. Gohan kept thinking something along these lines.

_She hasn't said a word. Oh Dende she hasn't said anything! What have I gotten myself into now? I thought we were good! Does she actually still hate me? Is this really just a trip for ice cream? IS this a secret interrogation session?! She's really pretty… NO. Keep your focus. She's probably… maybe she wants to… GAH! _

He was feeling pretty out of his element. But to his credit, all that showed on his face was a slight blush.

Videl's thoughts were not dissimilar. _Ooh man. I hope he doesn't still hate me for what I said about him before the match. He hasn't said a word! I bet he didn't even need that shower. Maybe he just needed to relax. I know I was really hard on him, but I thought we're good now! I really want to ask… but I don't want to make it worse than it already is!_

It was adorably awkward. Both parties were very relieved to reach the little ice cream stand.

Videl strode a little ahead of Gohan. "I'll get it this time. My treat."

_This time? This is going to happen again?_ He pushed aside hopeful thoughts and became the gentleman. "You don't need to do that Videl." He protested.

"No, I want to." Videl waved him away. _I gotta smooth this over one way or another._ She pulled a few zenni out of her back pocket and spoke to the vendor. "Two soft serves please. One medium and," she looked back at Gohan, "one large."

Gohan smiled in surprise. "Wow. Thanks Videl!"

"Yeah well," she walked over to him, passing the large swirled cone to his eager hands, "I remember how your stomach is."

He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Gohan took a big bite of the ice cream and closed his eyes in delight. "Mmmmm! This is good stuff."

"Yeah…"_ How am I even supposed to start?_ Videl fiddled with her cone. "Uh… Gohan? A-about today…"

"Hmm?" He stopped attacking his cone and looked over at Videl. A small dollop of vanilla stuck to the end of his nose.

She forgot her discomfort and chuckled, wiping the tip of his nose with her finger. "You are a messy eater, you know?"

Gohan blushed, laughing embarrassedly. "So I've heard." He turned back to his ice cream, going at a slower pace. "What about today?"

"I was… wondering," Videl said, looking down to her toes, "I was thinking that you might… well I thought I might ask you if…" Gohan was looking at her curiously now. Videl felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "D-do you think you could teach me that technique? The drunken fist?" She looked up with a sparkle in her eyes. "I've only ever seen it from old tournament matches. It's not a technique that many people use anymore. It's so…" She searched for a word, missing Gohan's gob smacked expression. "So… Cool! I mean, it was last recorded in use by Jackie Chun during the 21st WMAT when he fought Son Goku in the last round! And Son Goku used the monkey fist technique! How did he even come up with that one?! It was a completely new style! I've heard of the crane style and turtle style, but never monkey style! Who would even teach that anyway?! It's more like he-"

_She's not angry. She just wanted to ask for lessons? _Gohan watched in amazement as Videl babbled on excitedly. Her eyes shone and her face absolutely lit up. She seemed almost like a different person. Gohan's dark eyes softened and a smile spread on his face. _But she's not._ A warm feeling grew in Gohan chest. She asked for his help because this was something she was passionate about. _This is who she is. She is… so amazing. _His smile grew into a grin. It was easy to get caught up in her excitement.

She caught the look on his face and trailed off. She blushed hotly and looked back at her ice cream. "What?"

"Oh nothing." He licked at his ice cream sedately. "Got to tell you though…" Videl cringed, waiting for the sarcasm. She liked martial arts! So what? She mentally steeled herself for the onslaught. "Son Goku would've _totally_ won the 22nd WMAT if he hadn't hit that truck before Tien Shinhan landed outside the ring."

Videl's eyes snapped back to Gohan. His smile was dazzling and her breath caught in her throat. "You… you're kidding me! Tien Shinhan had way more experience than Son Goku did! He totally beat him handily."

"No way! You remember the 23rd WMAT? Son Goku beat him without using any of the techniques he used on Majunior! That thing at the end of the 22nd WMAT was sheer luck."

Videl smiled brightly. Today was just full of surprises. She leaned close to him. "Who's your favorite fighter?"

Gohan replied without thinking. "Son Goku, hands down. You?"

"Hmmm… probably… Anonymous from the 23rd WMAT." Videl said. "She didn't win, but she was the strongest female fighter in the world! Though why she ran off with Son Goku is anybody's guess." She continued to speak, even though Gohan started coughing up a lung at the mention of his parents. "I bet if she would've trained a bit more and reentered the next year…"

Gohan cleared his throat. "Ahah, yeah."

"Dad said a lot of the guys in those tournaments used fancy light tricks to fool their opponents." She waved her hands in the air frustrated. "What kind of martial artist relies on deception anyway? That's just dirty fighting! Anonymous didn't use any of that stuff and she still made it to the semi-finals."

"Hey, just because you don't know the technique doesn't mean it's a trick!" Gohan bristled. "The Kamehameha wave is a legitimate technique taught by the turtle hermit!"

"Yeah, but no one can really do that stuff can they? It's impossible to throw light beams and fly! My dad told me so! They're just a bunch of dirty cheaters."

_They weren't cheating! _Gohan looked away from Videl, trying to hide his frustration with her notions. "Nothing is truly impossible." He said, trying to let it go and keep his energy under control. _Your father doesn't know everything._

"Yeah whatever." Videl started licking her now dripping ice cream cone. "So, how'd you get started in martial arts? I mean, I totally had you pegged as a book-worm more than anything." She winced. "No offense."

"None taken." Gohan polished off the rest of his ice cream, trying to ignore the angry indignation pushing in his chest. _Tricksters and dirty cheaters huh?_ "Mom made me study, but dad took me out and taught me. It was tons of fun and I kept up with it ever since."

"Nice. My dad taught me too as a matter of fact. Though I am not sure if I'm going to stick with the Satan style of fighting. It relies too much on brute force." Videl scowled. "Everyone thinks martial arts are all just fighting techniques. No one understands that it's more like a lifestyle than anything!"

The dark eyed teen nodded. "Discipline and balance."

"Exactly! It's not something you do, it's how you live!" Videl waved her ice cream in the air, gesturing in frustration. "Everyone in Dad's gym thinks it's all about…" Videl went on another tangent. Gohan watched her in amusement, previous frustration forgotten. This girl had that affect on him. Videl caught his glance and stopped cold. "What!?"

"Oh nothing." Gohan grinned. "I've just never seen you this worked up before."

Videl felt her face go red. She looked away, scowling. "Sh-shut up."

"Sure thing." He chuckled. They both started walking. Gohan knew he had to get home sometime, but Videl kept chatting with him. He couldn't find a good time to get away.

And frankly, he didn't want to.

They talked about everything and anything. From martial arts to movies. From classes to music. From life goals to past experiences. Gohan learned so much about Videl and found himself more attracted to her with each passing moment. She loved the color purple. Had an impressive stuffed animal collection courtesy of her father. Hated tapioca pudding. Each little thing, no matter how mundane, appealed to Gohan. As they chatted, he began to realize just what kind of mess he was in. One guy, three aliases, liking the one person who could never know.

Videl was also learning a lot about her classmate. She hadn't had much of an opinion about Gohan besides that he was an alright guy. Kinda cute, but very nerdy. Now she was finding out that Gohan was pretty interesting. Into martial arts, good at drawing, can't sing to save his life. There was so much she never knew! The more they talked, the more she found herself enjoying his company. She caught herself blushing a few times, telling herself that this guy was just a friend. He wasn't close to Gold Fighter attraction level.

Besides, she didn't like Gohan like that… did she?

Videl shook her head, forcing those thoughts away. This was nice, but there were still questions she wanted answered. How strong was Gohan anyway? Was he going to teach her the drunken fist or what? She was about to bring up this new topic of conversation when a sudden screeching sound assailed their ears.

A car whipped around the corner, screeching to a halt right in front of the two teens. A pair of men got out, one short and skinny, the other tall and burly.

"Nice one!" The skinny guy said. "This city is perfect for street racing."

"I know right?" The buff one replied. "This job is gonna be easier than we thought." He turned on his heel and barged right into the teens, knocking them over. "Hey! Watch where you're going you little punks!"

"_You_ watch where you're going!" Videl called after him angrily. She picked herself up off the ground. "You alright Gohan?" The raven haired crime fighter was startled to see a scowl on Gohan's normally mellow face. The dark eyed teen stood up and took a few steps after the guy.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice! You owe her an apology!"

The muscle bound man turned to face them again. His face scrunched up in an ugly sneer. "Why don't you come over here and make me, wimp?"

Videl watched in shock as Gohan strode up to the big guy fearlessly. "That was a dangerous stunt you pulled back there."

"Not as dangerous as the stunt you're pulling right now!" The guy lifted Gohan up by his shirt. "No one but NO ONE smarts off to the red shark gang!"

Gohan smiled dangerously. "Violence isn't the answer sir."

"Oh yeah!?" The man hefted a punch at Gohan. The teenaged saiyan dodged it effortlessly.

Gohan fell into a fighting stance. "You missed me." _I'll take you on._

"GOHAN! The heck are you doing!?"

His eyes widened. _Aww crap Videl!_ Gohan, in the moment, forgot she was there. His eyes shifted to the punch that was coming for him. _If I dodge this, she'll be suspicious again!_ However, his body dodged the incoming punch unconsciously. His ki rose in a slow swell, making it hard not to punch the big guy on instinct.

"I'll break you like a twig!" The brutish man grunted. "Hold STILL would you!?"

_A challenge?_ Gohan straightened out of his fighting stance. Thoughts of Videl were thrown to the wind. _Alright. Take your best shot._

Videl watched in horror as a massive right straight flew into Gohan's face. Just because he beat Videl on a fluke didn't mean he was invincible to obviously stronger guys! As the punch crashed into Gohan's face, the raven haired crime fighter was already on the move.

"You jerk!" She let fly a kick that knocked the bigger man flat on his back. She kicked him once in the side for good measure. He was out cold. Videl pointed to the skinny guy. "Take your friend and get out of here. I don't wanna see your ugly faces here ever again." Her voice was full of scorn.

The man gulped nervously. He leant over, grabbed his friend by the ankles and hauled him into their car. "You haven't seen the last of us, you punk!" He hollered before squealing away into the distance. "You're gonna get it!"

"Yeah sure." Videl sighed. _Stupid men and their stupid hubris._ She turned to Gohan. "Oh man, I don't even want to look. How bad is it?"

Gohan stood in the same spot, not having moved from getting punched. On his face was a mixture of relief and annoyance. His eyes were unreadable.

Videl examined his face quickly. "I don't believe it. Not even a scratch." She was supposed to be surprised, but for some reason wasn't. Well, she was a little, but not as much as she should have been.

"Oh." Gohan snapped out of his funk. "Ah… Lucky! I guess I can really take a punch huh?"

"Sure." Videl stared at him. "I should've stepped in quicker, but since you knew martial arts, I figured you'd be alright. But you just stopped when you had him on the rocks!"

"Oh, did I?" Gohan laughed uncomfortably. "I guess I just choked?"

_I don't believe it._ Videl tilted her head. "Ahuh."

Gohan broke out in a light sweat. _Aaaaah crapbaskets. This may be a good time to leave._ "Well, I hate to leave, but I got to get back home. I just patched things up with mom and if I turn up late, I'm in for a real tongue lashing." He turned and started jogging away from Videl. "I'll see you later Videl!"

"Yeah. Hey wait!" She called after him. "Will you teach me the drunken fist sometime?"

"Oh!" _Ah, she still wants lessons. That… wouldn't be too much trouble, right?_ Gohan stopped and turned around. "Sure thing Videl," he hollered, "but you've got to let me buy the ice cream next time!" And with that, Gohan spun around and left, sending his senses behind him to check on Videl. She wasn't following him. He dashed into an alleyway and hit the button on his watch. He flew low until he was far enough away to fly up and out over the city. Still Videl's energy signature remained in the general area where they parted.

_She's… not following me?_ Gohan swallowed nervously. He felt a little relieved, but a little disappointed. He half expected her to give chase after that little spat with those gangsters. _Maybe things are looking up after all._

* * *

Videl sat on the curb, thinking. She hadn't gone after Gohan like she normally would have. Instead, the crime fighting heroine pondered what she knew about her classmate. _Gohan… who are you exactly?_

She was very happy that he agreed to teach her the technique. But the feeling was soon pushed away by curiosity. The interaction with the thugs threw Gohan into a newer light. She thought about how he dodged that guy's punches. How he dodged her punches. How strange that he could take an obvious punch and not receive damage. Heck this kid fought like no one she'd ever seen before. Yet he'd been hiding it from her all this time. Erasa made a good point back in the locker room, but was that all there was to it?

_Come to think of it, didn't Erasa say he was really super strong?_ Videl stood from the curb. _Something about the arcade last week._ She started off to the mall.

When she arrived she headed straight to the arcade. She noticed that the DDR machine was up and running again. So was the punching machine. _Erasa said that he got the highest score…_ Videl walked over to the machine curiously.

_Hmmm…_ She popped a few quarters in. _Might as well see how good he was._ She drew back and punched the bag hard. Harder, in fact, than when she was with her friends. The lights flashed, the music played, but there was no high score exclamation.

Instead, she entered her initials and watched as they came up as the second high score. Her jaw dropped at the score under the first name.

GHN 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"WHAT?!" She slammed her hands on the console. "That's impossible! No one is that strong!" Erasa was right. But seriously! No one is really that strong save her father. And he defeated Cell!

_Well, no one except for Saiyaman._

Videl froze as the thought rose unbidden into her mind. _Gohan… as strong as Saiyaman._ Didn't Gohan's little brother say something about him being just as strong? That he was really Saiyaman?! Her previous doubts about Gohan being a weakling having been blown away by the sparring match earlier, Videl was left with only facts.

She leaned back against the punching game, mind racing. It made sense. Gohan always left class right after she did and came back right before she did. He said he flies to school, but doesn't have a jetcopter. If he was Saiyaman, he would just fly himself to school in that disguise.

Videl grinned. _It explains why Sharpner broke his arm on Gohan's face! If Gohan is Saiyaman, and Saiyaman can withstand explosions and bullets, it makes sense that those punches he got today did absolutely nothing to him!_ She started pacing back and forth in the arcade, drawing curious stares from other patrons.

Pieces started falling together. _No wonder he seems so familiar! He always scratches the back of his head when he's embarrassed or nervous!_ Something that both Saiyaman and Gohan did. _He tries to hide his voice by making it all superhero-y, but when I hear his real voice it sounds just like Gohan's!_ Both men had a sense of justice, were polite to a fault, and were about the same height. She couldn't vouch for their musculature, but that was set aside as more facts raced through her brain.

Videl was getting excited. _He studies martial arts to control his powers. The Gold Fighter is his friend, or at least someone he knows, which explains why he's so uncomfortable when we talk about him!_ You'd get embarrassed too if your friend was being discussed on levels of hotness. Especially if you weren't supposed to know him.

_I've been trying to find him out from day one! No wonder Gohan didn't want to talk to me!_ Videl felt a pang of guilt in the midst of her detective joy. _But it makes total sense! He wouldn't want to hang out because that would give me more reason to suspect him!_ She'd be sure that they'd still be on good terms once she confronted him about it. (yeah right) _I knew he was hiding something! I knew it!_

_But wait… _She paused in her excitement. There were still so many questions unanswered. _How does he change into his costume so fast? How can he fly? Why is he impervious to bullets?_ She didn't have any proof of anything! This was all based on happenstance. Videl pouted softly._ Where'd he even learn martial arts to get that good? _She all but ran from the arcade into the nearest internet café. _He said his dad taught him._ _Who was his father?!_

"Internet, don't fail me now!" She plopped down at a computer and typed away like a madman. The search yielded some interesting results. There weren't many Sons. Only one seemed plausible, another Son Gohan, but this man had already died. He used to be a student of the famous turtle hermit. The martial arts master of the kame style. Videl raised her eyebrows and dug further. There wasn't too much information on him, besides that he had one living descendant.

Son Goku.

"So that's it!" Videl scrolled through pictures of Goku. "That's how he knows so much about martial arts!" They didn't just have similar last names; they had the _same_ last name!

Son Goku was the father of Son Gohan.

Videl spun around in her chair. "Yesss!" She slowly spun to a halt, realization dawning over her face. "That means that Anonymous…" She looked back at the computer to a picture of Goku and Chichi in the ring. "Anonymous is his mom!"

A loud squeal echoed in the mall. Videl wasn't the type of girl to squeal except when it came to fangirling over her favorite fighter. However, the expression of joy was cut short.

"That jerk!" The doors to the internet café burst open and an angry Videl stormed out. Her excitement had turned quickly to frustration. "Why didn't he _tell_ me that his mom was Anonymous?! Or that his dad was the winner of the WMAT before mine was?!" She blushed. "And I rambled to him about how Tien Shinhan was a better fighter! How they were tricksters and liars! AUGH I am such an IDIOT!" She dashed home. "But his mom is Anonymous! I've _got_ to get him to let me meet her!"

Other pedestrians scurried out of her way as she went barreling down the sidewalk. "We need to have a rematch! A serious one! Once Gohan knows I know his little secret, he won't hold back in a fight! Just think about it! One champion's descendant fighting against another's!" The teenaged crime fighter grinned with glee. "It'll be so awesome!"

She skidded to a halt outside the main gates of the Satan mansion. "Wait." She smacked her forehead. "Gohan wouldn't do that willingly! He doesn't know that I know!" She paced back and forth outside her home, drawing more curious looks from the hired help inside. "And besides that, accusing him of being Saiyaman is all based on circumstantial evidence. There is the barest chance that I might be wrong." She scowled. "I highly doubt that, but I can't call myself a cop if I don't get something substantial. I just need some physical proof of some kind before I can confront him. That way he'll have no way out!"

She headed inside, thinking hard. "Maybe I could put a tracker on him? Nah, I'd have to get very close to do that without him noticing. If I could just corner Saiyaman and get his helmet off. Or at least get a good look at his eyes. That'll be all the proof I need." Videl pulled out her cell phone. "I could stage a crime. Saiyaman would show up and I'd catch him unawares." She pondered for a while, and then shut her phone. "Nah. That's fighting dirty. He'd catch on too quick."

Videl walked to her room, passing the conference hall and the multitude of reporters huddled around her father. He was going on about how he was the greatest like usual, telling of his exploits in saving people.

She stopped at her bedroom door, struck with inspiration. _Saiyaman shows up when there are multiple people in danger. Or at least when there seems to a lot of people in the area. Maybe if I… _Videl smirked, a plan forming in her mind. "Just you wait, _Saiyaman._ Or should I say, _Son Gohan._"

* * *

Gohan stared vacantly out the window. Class was going as usual, but Gohan paid no attention to it. He watched the birds flit by and admired the clouds floating serenely in the blue sky.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh._

Gohan let his head droop to the desk. The urge to move was nearly uncontainable. He tried. Really, really tried to keeps his thoughts serene, but it felt like his muscles were itching to be used. Twitching with the desire to be tested. The teen saiyan even did some training last night with Vegeta. It helped, but the restless feeling resurfaced with the dawn. Nevertheless, Gohan was able to keep it under the surface. He knew that no good would come of letting loose in school.

He arrived just like normal. He'd greeted Videl and took his seat. They were on good terms now, but for some reason he still felt her eyes on his back. As the day went on, he noticed Erasa and Sharpner were treating him strangely. Well, more like they were trying not to stare. It only added to his restlessness.

Gohan's eyes shifted over to Erasa. She had been staring at him for a while now. His eyes met hers and she dropped her head into her notebook. Gohan glanced behind her at Videl. The raven haired girl looked pointedly in the other direction. The teen saiyan frowned. _This is getting weird._ Sharpner kept stealing glances from overtop his textbook. _What is with everybody today? It's like I'm starting school all over again or something. Why do they keep staring at me?_ He looked down at his red vest. _Did I spill something on my shirt again?_

The bell rang and Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank Kami that period's over._ He stood from his seat and stretched. His shoulders gave a satisfying pop. What he wouldn't give for ten extra minutes to go out on the rooftop for some flying. Heck even a few pushups would be a relief! He looked over to his friends.

Erasa was staring at him, face red. Sharpner kept looking up at him, but would turn his face away suddenly. Videl stared hard at him, a smile playing about her lips.

Gohan frowned at his friends. "What is it?"

The two blondes looked away, muttering excuses. Videl continued to stare unabashedly.

"Why are you guys been staring at me?" Gohan folded his arms across his chest in irritation. "I'm pretty sure I don't have anything on my shirt this time."

"Oh you totally do Gohan!" Erasa exclaimed, turning back to him hopefully. "In fact I think you got some on your back too!" She looked behind him, nodding sagely. "Oh yeah. You're a complete mess. How did you even get that on your back? You know what? You're just gonna have to take your shirt off and go bare-chested until you can get yourself clean."

He rolled his eyes. "No."

"Told you it wouldn't work." Sharpner mumbled.

"You didn't know that for sure!" Erasa whirled on him angrily. "He might've stripped down to his boxers or something!"

"No, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't do that." Sharpner watched as Gohan turned red. "Sorry man. I was just zoning out in your direction is all."

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Erasa agreed a little too quickly.

"Ahuh." Gohan turned to Videl. "Why are you staring at me Videl?"

The raven haired girl grinned maliciously. "Guess."

"You don't suspect me of something again don't you?" Gohan massaged the bridge of his nose. "I thought we were good."

"Oh, we're good alright. I just wish I knew more about you, _Gohan_."

_Oh no. What is it now?_ She had that tone. The same tone she uses when she's found evidence. Gohan cringed. _Why'd I have to fall for her again?_ "Well, we could hang out sometime if you'd like?"

To his surprise, Videl smiled genuinely. "I'd like that. How about your place?"

_W-what?_ "My place?" Gohan's eyes went wide. "You w-want to come to my house?" He shot a look over at Erasa and Sharpner. They were just as shocked as he was!

"Yeah. _Your_ place. Is that alright?"

_I can't have her at my house! Bad enough I keep things from her, but being a hormonal alien? Things would get nasty really quick! _"Ah, I'll have to okay it with my mom first." He swallowed nervously. "She doesn't like people showing up unannounced."

"Oh, that's fine. You told me that you'd teach me the drunken fist yesterday. I expect you to pay up." Videl grinned as she leaned back in her chair. "I'd love to meet your mom anyway. She seems like a pretty amazing woman."

_Crap… I did say that, didn't I? _Despite his doubts about having her over, Gohan smiled brightly at the compliment. "She is pretty amazing." _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad._ There might be hope for the love struck teen after all.

Erasa looked back and forth from Videl to Gohan. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She squealed.

Her classmates covered their ears in pain. "Erasa! What's with the noise?!" Sharpner hollered.

"It's happening Sharpie! I so totally told you so!" Stars filled the blonde's eyes. "Such a tragic love story!"

Gohan and Videl stared at her blankly. "What do you me-"

BREEEP BREEEP BREEEP

Videl held up her wrist communicator. "Go ahead chief."

"Videl, there's been some kind of disturbance at the train station. All our officers are tied up at the moment and you are the closest operative. We need you to go down and check it out."

"Understood. I'll be there as soon as I can." Videl switched off her watch and looked up at Gohan. "I've gotta go. See you soon Gohan." She waved over her shoulder, jumping over her desk and running out the door.

The teen saiyan watched her leave, the restless feeling nearly consuming him. He wanted to go after her. Something in her eyes asked him to follow, but why he felt that way was a mystery to him. She looked like she knew something… what could it be?

A few minutes later the next teacher arrived. Gohan returned to his seat to try and survive another tortuous class period. The teacher began to drone on about the course material and Gohan's mind began to wander. What was Videl doing? What kind of disturbance could've attracted police attention?

He sent his senses outward, searching for her ki signature. Sure enough, it was in the general direction of the train station. There were many people there too. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary though. Everyone's energy was mellow.

Suspicious.

Gohan grit his teeth. What was going on out there?! It had to be something! The police wouldn't call her for something like a cat getting stuck in a tree! _What's going on Videl?_

Suddenly, the mass of people had an energy spike. Gohan flinched. _What was that?_ Something had to have gone wrong. Videl's energy was spiking as well! He had to get there! Gohan raised his hand. "Sir, may I be excused?"

"No you may not." The teacher pointed to the textbook. "Please wait until after we have finished discussing the themes of Shakespeare's Hamlet, if you will."

_Shit!_ Gohan's eyes narrowed. _That's going to take until the end of the class! I need to get there now! _He sunk back into his seat, garnering worried looks from both Erasa and Sharpner. _What am I supposed to do? Videl could be in serious trouble!_

His hands clenched into fists. How could he be so useless?! He's Saiyaman! The Gold Fighter too! Think harder Son Gohan! There's got to be a way to get there and help! _Videl…_ One hand rested against his forehead as he concentrated on her ki. All the other energy signatures faded as he focused on hers. It spiked erratically and his muscles tensed. _She's in danger!_

"Shit shit shit…" Gohan muttered. So focused on Videl's energy was he that his own power started seeping out from under his control. It welled up around him, giving him a faint glow.

Sharpner nudged Erasa with his elbow. They stared in awe at their friend. He was glowing. Like… seriously glowing! Erasa pulled her cell phone out of her bag and discreetly took a picture. Brow furrowed, eyes narrowed, Gohan looked ready to take someone out. The picture captured his glow, adding to the shadows on his face, aging him. He looked mature, battle scarred. Serious.

Gohan didn't notice the stares of his classmates. His entire focus was on Videl's ki. It spiked again and Gohan nearly lost it. _She's in trouble! I CAN'T STAY HERE!_

The ki surrounding him increased. The lid on his power slipped off. It was only for a moment, but the change was immediate.

Sharpner and Erasa watched, wide eyed, as Gohan vanished into thin air.

* * *

A/N: MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Lookit that cliffy! Ain't she a beaut!  
MAN But I've been wanting to do that for a while now!  
Tune in next time to see more explosions.

Things in the way of wedding planning have been escalating of late, so updating is taking a back burner for now. As soon as I have more time, I'll get down to banging this sucker out!  
Thanks for reading!  
LET ME KNOW IF I DO THE GOOD. ReadReviewKayThanksBye.


	17. Transmission Issues

**DISCLAIMER**: Do you haz? No? I don't haz either. I only pretend to haz.

Ch. 17: Transmission Issues

* * *

"Oof!" Gohan landed painfully on his rear. "Geez! Don't tell me I broke the …" He trailed off as he realized where he was.

He was in the train station.

…

How did he get to the train station?!

"What in the…"

Gohan stared wide eyed at the huge group of people in front of him.

It was… a flash mob?

Loud music blared from the station speakers. Tons of people danced in sync with one another. It was a popular dance from a boy band. Gohan only heard about it from Erasa, but it seemed like it was much bigger than he thought.

He caught sight of Videl dancing along with them, grinning like a schoolgirl and having a great time. Her ki was spiking because of the intricate dance routine. In fact, he failed to notice that EVERYONE'S ki was spiking in the same way.

_She's okay._ Relief deflated him like a balloon. _She was called out to inspect a flash mob? What kind of police chief does that? _He was taking a few easy breaths when his gaze met Videl's. Her eyes widened and she froze. It was too loud to hear her speak, but he knew exactly what she said.

"Gohan?!"

The half-saiyan bolted. He moved through the crowd at speeds that would seem crazy for anyone else. He was so fleet of foot that all anyone really noticed was a random gust of wind. Most of the people there were too focused on the flash mob to pay attention anyway.

When he stopped, he found himself outside behind a Hercule Satan statue.

"How did I get here?!" Gohan pulled at his hair. "How in Kami's name did I end up at the train station!?" _I was just sitting at my desk, following Videl's ki… I was worried about her! Who wouldn't be? _He was so focused… all thoughts, all energy went into finding her exact location._ I wanted to be here! I wanted to be here so badly, to help her. To save her! I could almost see her in front of me and then I… released my…_

Gohan's eyes went wide. "Instant transmission." He sunk down behind the statue. "I just used instant transmission." He looked at his hands. He didn't feel quite as restless anymore. "I sent my energy to where Videl was and my body followed." The teen saiyan's face split into a goofy grin. "I can't believe I actually did it! I used instant transmission!" The technique that his father used after returning to earth from Namek.

"It took Dad a whole year to learn this! How in the world did I learn it suddenly like that?" Must've been hormones. Super saiyajin hormones. Gohan turned his face to the sky. _Aw Dad, I wish you were here._ He shook his head. Sad thoughts could wait. He had to try that again!

"GOHAN!"

"Videl!" Gohan jumped to his feet. "Ohcrapohcrapohcrap!" Videl had come looking for him. "How do I do IT again?!" He put his two fingers to his forehead in an imitation of Goku.

Nothing happened. Gohan heard footsteps getting closer. Videl was going to find him! His mind was too scattered to focus on instant transmission. So, Gohan did what anyone would do.

He hit the panic button.

* * *

"Where the hell are you?!" Videl stormed out of the station. "I know you're here Gohan!" She whipped her head this way and that, trying to find him. How he got there from school so fast was a real mystery, but even more so was the fact that he showed up himself! Saiyaman had yet to even show his face.

She stomped towards the entrance. "GOHAN!"

"Greetings Miss Videl!" Saiyaman walked out from behind her father's statue in front of the station. "I couldn't help but hear you scream. Is something the matter?"

_I KNEW IT! _Videl charged him. "YOU!"

Saiyaman hopped backwards. "Ack! It's not what you… I mean, what did I do?" His muffled voice wavered between false and real.

The crime fighter stopped before punching. She lowered her arms and took a deep breath. "What are you doing here _Saiyaman_?"

Saiyaman lifted a hand to his chin. "I heard that there was a disturbance here and came to check it out."

"You call a flash mob a disturbance?"

"I'm only repeating what I heard from the police."

"Oh? The police called you too?"

"Uh, well… not exactly…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

_Gotcha. _"Ahuh." Videl walked up to him, nice and close. "And how, pray tell, did you find out about this?"

He backed off slightly. "I have a… radio in my helmet that picks up police frequencies."

"Sure you do." She shook her head and sighed. "Enough of this nonsense, please just tell me who you are." She asked sincerely. Better to try an honest question before the hardcore stuff.

"You already know who I am." Saiyaman threw up a peace sign. "I'm the great Saiyaman!"

"Ugh. You're such a jerk!"

"What do you mean? You asked me who I was!"

"I want to know your real name you nutcase. And where you're from and where you get your power."

Saiyaman put his hands on his hips. "Why are you so bent on discovering who I am? No one else bothers me."

"For one thing, I hate liars." Videl scowled. "You've been lying about your identity from day one. If you really are as good as you say you are, why hide your identity?"

"I keep telling you, to keep my family safe!" Saiyaman put a hand across his visor. "How many times have we had this conversation?"

_He's got a point. Time to change tactics. _She looked at him for a moment. "Fine. If you won't answer my questions, at least help me out with something."

"Oh. Sure. What is it?"

_Oh ever the ever helpful Saiyaman. You're digging yourself an early grave. _"I'm looking for a classmate of mine."

"A… classmate of yours?" He swallowed nervously.

She smiled at him. "That's right. I saw him skipping out on class." She glanced down at her watch. "The next period has already started, but I can't leave without bringing him back with me. Would you help me find him?"

"Ah… s-sure. I'd be glad to help you look for him."

Videl put a hand to her chin in thought. "Say, aren't you running late for something as well?"

"Oh… uh, no. I'm fine." Saiyaman turned away from Videl. He took a deep breath before speaking. "So… who's this classmate of yours?"

Videl smirked. "His name is Gohan. Dark eyes, black hair, about your height, ever met him before?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Hmmm. I think you'd like him. He's just as much of a jerk as you are."

"Hey! I'm not that much of a jerk!" Saiyaman said indignantly.

"Yeah you are. You are much too secretive to be anything but a jerk." Videl shook her head. "I even asked politely too."

"When did you ever ask politely? Today's the first time I've ever heard you use the word 'please'!"

"I so totally said 'please'! I asked you to 'please' teach me the drunken fist technique!"

Saiyaman paused. When he spoke, his voice was carefully kept within his superhero voice. "I don't remember ever having that conversation with you Miss Videl."

_Dangit. I almost had him with that one._ "Coulda sworn it was you." She tilted her head. "Though on second thought it might've been with Gohan. You two are so alike you know."

"What does this have to do with finding this young man?"

"You know what they say. To find someone, you have to know how they think." Videl cocked her head to one side in mock thought. "Now if I were Gohan and in hiding, I'd wear some kind of disguise." She pointed at Saiyaman's helmet. "Something that would hide my face. Kind of like your helmet."

Saiyaman folded his arms across his chest. "What exactly are you trying to say, Miss Videl?"

"Oh nothing." Videl casually walked back towards the train station. "It's just that Gohan always seems to leave class whenever I get called away to crimes. Crimes that you just so happen to attend."

Saiyaman shrugged. "A coincidence I'm sure. Correlation does not equal causation."

"Huh. Thanks for that, _Brains._"

Saiyaman smacked the side of his helmet in an attempt to facepalm. "Would you just… Stop doing that! I am not this so called 'Gohan' and nothing you accuse me of is going to change that!"

"Oh yeah? How do I know you aren't Gohan?!" Videl spun about and thrust an accusatory finger in his direction. "I've never seen your face, but I have so much circumstantial evidence I could fill a swimming pool with it!"

"That's ridiculous! I'm not Gohan!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!" Saiyaman's temper flared.

"Are!"

"Not!"

"ARE!"

"NOT!"

"PROVE IT!" Videl stormed up to the masked hero. "Take off your helmet right now and prove to me that you are not Son Gohan!"

"I won't! You're just trying to get me to reveal my identity!" Saiyaman's shoulders tensed and his voice got louder. "I'm not falling for it! I have nothing to prove to you!"

"Just admit it! You're Gohan aren't you!?"

"I'm not!"

"Bullshit!" Videl was steaming at this point. Her attempts to drop hints and catch him unawares had failed. He was being stubborn and it was pissing her off. "You know well as I do that there's no way you could've shown up here instantly without superpowers! The school is over 5 kilometers away!" she shouted.

"Well it's a good thing I have superpowers now isn't it?!" Saiyaman shouted back. "Gohan is a normal human being!"

"And HOW would you know?!"

"I JUST DO!"

"NAAAAARGH!" Videl threw a punch into empty space. "Just ADMIT it already would you, Gohan?! Take…" she swiped at his helmet, "that _bucket_…" he dodged out of the way, "off your head!"

"No!" Saiyaman caught her wrist and held her firmly. "I am not Gohan! Would you drop it already!?"

Videl narrowed her eyes at Saiyaman. She whipped up her other fist and attempted to punch him with it. He caught it just as easily as the other one. She strained against him and glared her fiercest. They were silent except for the occasional grunts of strain from Videl.

Eventually she stilled her movements. Saiyaman released her fists and they dropped to her sides. She looked up at him in frustration.

"I know it's you Gohan. You can't hide it from me anymore." Videl sighed. "But you still want to deny it? I'm not going to shout it from the rooftops or anything. I just wanted to know if it was you." She turned and started walking away. "I figured you were an honest guy. I guess I was wrong."

As she walked away, she heard Saiyaman heave a deep sigh.

"Videl, I…"

"Miss Videl!"

Videl looked over into the train station and sure enough, a little girl came bounding toward her.

"Treesa!" Videl swept her up into a hug. "How are ya?"

"Good!" Treesa giggled. "That dance you did was so cool!"

"You think so?" Videl set the little girl down. "Your parents around?"

"Yeah, Mom's over there." She pointed to a little ice cream stand off to the side where a lady was ordering ice cream from the vendor. Treesa turned back to Videl. She looked past her to where Saiyaman was standing. Her eyes went wide.

"Saiyaman!" She hurtled across the pavement and threw herself at him.

He caught her up in his arms and swung her around, laughing happily.

"Treesa! It's good to see you! How have you been?"

"Great!"

Videl watched them talk. They chattered on about school and the park and the train. Treesa kept flipping his visor up and down. And he laughed.

A lovely, slightly muffled sound.

Suddenly, Videl felt an immense guilt. She'd been fighting with Saiyaman about who he really was and… well, did it really matter? _He's a good guy, whoever he says he is. If Gohan wants to keep it a secret, then I guess I'll find out when he's ready to tell me._ Despite her disappointment with her lack of physical evidence, Videl was happy with her decision.

She walked up to the pair. "Hey Saiyaman? Sorry about all that just now. I was just so sure…" She shook her head. "Anyway, I'm going to head back to school now."

Saiyaman nodded, setting Treesa back on the ground. "I should get back to my patrol too. I'm sorry we couldn't find your classmate."

_Ooooh… Gohan, you big stupid…_ Videl forced a grin. "No worries. He'll just have detention till the end of time."

Saiyaman nodded stoically. He turned to Treesa. "You'd better get back to your mom. We've got crime to fight!"

Treesa giggled. "Okaaaay!" She dashed back to her mom. "Bye Miss Videl!"

"Bye Treesa!" Videl waved with a grin.

The little girl beamed and waved harder. "Bye Gohan!"

"Bye Treesa! See you…" Saiyaman trailed off.

Both teenagers froze.

Videl turned to him with wide eyes. "… Gohan?" Her amazed gaze turned triumphant. "She just called you Gohan didn't she?!"

Gohan smacked his helmet. "Ah shit."

Before another word could be said, Gohan shot up into the sky. Videl shielded her eyes from the sudden wind. When she looked around again, the superhero was nowhere to be seen.

Gohan shot back to the school building. He landed on the rooftop with a dull thump. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Shit!"

He threw a punch into the air in front of him. "Shit shit shit!" The punches flew faster. "How could I have been so stupid?!" He let out a shout and started into a kata. "I should've known better than to relax in front of Videl! First she accuses me so bad that I get close to transforming and THEN I just… AUGH!" The wind whistled around him as he threw rapid fire punches and kicks. His rising ki nearly overwhelmed him. "Now she knows I'm Saiyaman!"

The realization sunk in slowly. His punches slowed to a stop. "Now she knows." He switched off his saiyasuit and ran a hand through his black locks. "Oh Kami above. She knows my identity. I… I don't think I can talk my way out of this one. What am I going to do now?"

"I can't avoid her forever. Knowing Videl, she'll come after me the first chance she gets." He sighed heavily, pushing his power painfully back under his skin. "I'll… I'll just try to prepare as best I can I guess."

Gohan started down back to class. He opened the door to the stairwell and stopped. "AGH! I used instant transmission to get out of class!" He moved back from the doorway, eyes wide. "Oh no! What if people saw me do that?! Normal people can't do that!" His hands started pulling at the black spikes of hair. His energy rose unchecked again. "Oh crap oh crap ooooooooooh shit. I am so screwed! I'm going to get called into the principal's office and mom will gut me alive." He started pacing back and forth on the rooftop. "I can't explain how I left class; no one would believe me without spilling the beans to everyone!"

He stopped mid thought in a panic. "Ah snap! Sharpner and Erasa! They were sitting right beside me! There's no way they wouldn't have noticed! And we JUST started being friends!" He fought with his energy and despaired. "I've ruined everything."

Gohan's pacing speeded up. "I can't just go home. I can't call Bulma up to bail me out. She warned me that this would happen!" He screwed his fists into his eyes in frustration. "I'm such an IDIOT!"

The distant sounds of a helicopter stopped Gohan's tirade. "ACK! Videl's coming back!" Gohan raced to the door and flung himself down the stairs. "Just kill me now!" He skidded around the corner and almost ran smack into Erasa and Sharpner.

Erasa jumped out of the way. "Woah!"

"Hey watch it!" Sharpner scowled. "What's the big idea-" He stopped short and his eyes went wide. "Gohan?"

The dark eyed boy paled. _Frack! I can't deal with this right now!_ Trying to explain things and deal with his screwy power levels was too much to handle. He whirled around and started running the other direction.

"Wait! Gohan wait!" Erasa dashed after him. "The teacher sent us to find you! You weren't looking too good last period, so we assumed you went to the nurse's office!"

Gohan slowed to a stop. He turned to face his friends, shock openly showing on his face. "What did you say?"

"Yeah man." Sharpner came up behind Erasa, panting slightly. "You looked really pale, so we figured you went to lie down or something."

"But… but you…" Gohan backed up slightly. "You saw me. You saw what happened. There's no way you could have missed it. Why would you…"

"Hey man," Sharpner nodded, "that was totally crazy, but you're our friend. So yeah, we covered for you."

Erasa smiled softly, agreeing with Sharpner. "We also guessed that not many people know about your… uh…" she waved her hand in the air, "… abilities, so we kept it secret for you."

Gohan wavered on his feet. This was… He never even considered… The poor half-saiyan sunk down against the lockers in disbelief. "This… you guys…"

Sharpner leaned against the lockers beside him. "Don't mention it Brains."

His classmates, his _friends_ had stuck by him even when they knew how strange he was. Relief flooded his body. Tears swelled at the edges of his obsidian eyes.

"Hey now." Sharpner grinned. "Don't go getting all emotional on us now."

Erasa giggled. "Yeah. The Gold Fighter's supposed to be all manly and tough right?"

Gohan's jaw dropped. "The… The Gold Fighter? Seriously?"

"It was the only thing that made sense." Erasa shrugged. "Everything seemed to fit together too perfectly for anyone else."

"But… but how? You don't have any proof."

"Dude. You were glowing gold." Sharpner held up Erasa's phone. "See for yourself."

There, on the screen, was a picture of Gohan seated at his desk, glowing. Gohan stared at it for a minute before breaking out into laughter. He was too far gone on this emotional roller-coaster to even try denying anything. Above all, relief that his friends accepted who he was overwhelmed him.

"Oh man." His laughter diminished to sporadic giggles. "That's why you guys were staring at me earlier? Jeez, I don't even know how to react to that. I really screwed up didn't I?"

"Nah. You were doing pretty good for yourself." The blonde girl grinned. "Until a couple of smart blondes cracked the case!"

"I think we're the only ones to figure it out." Sharpner shrugged. "Though how Videl hasn't figured you out is beyond me."

Gohan sobered instantly. "Actually, she's coming after me right now."

The buff blonde paled. "Oh."

"Yep. I've been able to keep her at bay until today." He ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "Videl finally caught me in the act. She doesn't have a confession, or really any solid evidence, but she is convinced it's me." He paused before continuing. _They still don't know I am Saiyaman._ "I think she may have reached a different conclusion though."

Erasa nodded sympathetically. "Don't worry Gohan. We'll back you up."

He smiled. "Thanks guys. Thanks for everything."

"Like I said," Sharpner biffed him lightly on the shoulder, "don't mention it." The blonde male paused for a minute. "But if you are reeeeeeally feeling generous, you could tell us how you change your hair color so easily."

The saiyan teen was dumbstruck for a moment. "THAT'S what you want to know?" He laughed. "Ahahahahaha! You have got to be kidding me!"

"Aw, c'mon man! We won't share your hair secrets. We promise!" Erasa pleaded.

"Alright alright. I'll explain it all to you guys later." He looked behind him nervously. "And, uh… Would you guys be willing to come with me when I spill my guts to Videl? I don't really want to tell her all this in school."

His friends nodded their agreement. "Sure thing Gohan." Erasa said. "Though I don't think Videl will be too angry with you."

_No, I am pretty sure she'll be very angry. _Gohan nodded his thanks. The trio moved to head back to class, trying to deny the foreboding feeling of the approaching storm that was Videl Satan.

* * *

_When I find him, he's dead._

Videl raced back to school in her jetcopter. She was caught in a similar whirlwind of emotions. She felt the triumph of her victory. The lovely sensation of finding out she was right all along clashed with her anger at Gohan. He'd been lying from day one!

And she hated liars.

But she was right! Yes he didn't admit it outright. However! He responded to the name Gohan! That was more than enough evidence to prove he was Saiyaman. She just needed to get a confession from him and she was golden!

She landed her jetcopter with practiced ease on the rooftop and quickly capsuled it. She moved like a woman on a mission. Jumping the last few steps, she dashed to the next class. Flinging the door wide she stormed in with a shout.

"GOHAN!"

The teacher let out a frightened squeak. Videl glared up at the dark eyed teen. She opened her mouth to start her tirade when she was interrupted by the outraged teacher.

"Miss Videl! While I appreciate the fact that you returned to finish the school day, I would kindly ask you not to shout!" The teacher fanned herself. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She motioned up to Gohan. "Mr. Son is here. The nurse said that if was feeling any worse that he should return to the medical center. Alright? Good. Now please take your seat!"

_Nurses… office?_ Bewildered, Videl walked up to her row and took her seat. _He didn't go to the nurses office! He completely bailed on class, didn't he?_

She looked over to Gohan, but he kept his gaze trained on the teacher. She scowled and glanced over at Erasa. Erasa caught her eyes, but looked away quickly.

_Odd._ She slid her gaze over at Sharpner who did the same thing. _What the…_ Then it clicked.

_They knew!_ She clenched her fists. _They knew and they covered for him!_ Had they known from day one? Did Gohan tell them and not her? An unexpected jealousy washed over Videl. They didn't tell her! _He_ didn't tell her! Why would he tell them and not her?! He was…

Well, it's not like she liked him or anything like that… right?

She burned with rage and hurt. Her friends had kept secrets from her. She felt betrayed. Countless unsubstantiated reasons raced through her mind. Did he threaten them to keep his secret? Were they only friends to gain popularity and now that they found an actual superhero, they were willing to ditch Videl? Was it blackmail?

Deep down Videl knew that Gohan wasn't a bad guy. She knew that Erasa and Sharpner were true friends. Deeper still, she knew that she had some feelings for Gohan and those feelings were amplified after knowing that he was Saiyaman. That he'd been saving the lives of the people she cared for. That he'd been saving her life and never asking for anything in return. She was truly thankful, deep down.

But they kept this from her.

To her credit, Videl held her tongue the whole class period. Though her glare made all except Gohan squirm. When the bell finally rang, the four students put their things away and proceeded to the next class. Videl followed closely behind Gohan the entire time. Her eyes, if she had Piccolo's laser eye-beams, would've burned a hole in the back of his head by now.

They reached study hall silently. As the rest of the class filed in, Videl placed herself directly in front of Gohan with an expectant look on her face.

He looked at her evenly. "Videl."

"Saiyaman."

Sharpner coughed suddenly. Erasa thumped him on the back. Both of them were ignored.

Gohan sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What do you want from me Videl?"

"The truth."

"What? That you think I'm Saiyaman?"

"That I know you're Saiyaman."

"And what if I'm not?"

"Then what did I hear at the train station then?" She held up a small recorder attached to the inside of her collar. "You, ah excuse me, _Saiyaman_ responded to the name 'Gohan'. Now why on earth would he do that?"

"Maybe because that's his name?" Gohan's eyes challenged Videl. "I don't know his real name, do you? Did you see his driver's license?"

Videl's eyes narrowed. "Don't you play dumb with me, _Gohan_."

Gohan rubbed at his temples. "Videl please, can we discuss this after school?" Gohan said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Oh, but I'm just getting started." Videl smiled mirthlessly. "There was only one other Gohan ever recorded. Specifically one other _Gohan Son_ other than you." Gohan paled slightly as she continued. "He was one of the only students of the turtle school of martial arts. He died a long time ago, but his grandson, one _Goku Son, _was said to have carried on his teachings and his name. This same man fought in martial arts tournaments and married one of the competitors. He is known to have had one son." Gohan's eyes grew large, as Videl leaned in close to him. "You."

Sharpner looked over in wide eyed amazement at the dark haired teen. "Seriously?!"

"Yep." Her smile turned malicious. "Isn't that right? _Son_ Gohan, son of _Son_ Goku, son of THE _Son _Gohan?"

Gohan took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "That's correct. And?"

"You are the only other one in recorded history to have the name 'Gohan'." She leaned back, triumphant. "See where I'm going with this?"

"You made your point." Gohan's eyes narrowed. "What do you expect me to do about it? Deny who my father was?"

"I expect you to come clean you dirty liar." Videl's impatience brought her anger to the surface. "Even if I didn't have this recording, I have enough circumstantial evidence to convince everyone of who you are. You have no alibis as to where you go and there is NO way that you can lie your way out of this one, you coward!"

"Hey! He's no coward!" Erasa came to his defense, even though she was downright puzzled. Wasn't Gohan the Gold Fighter?

"Yeah!" Sharpner added. "Even if this is true, that means he's one of the bravest guys out there! You can't call him a coward!"

"Suck it Sharpner! I'm not taking it back." Videl spat, furious about the fact that _her _friends were defending him. "Besides! You guys knew it from the beginning and covered for him all this time! You didn't tell me the truth, even after I asked you for it!"

"What!?" Sharpner was shocked. "No! We didn't know that! We thought-"

"Save your excuses for someone who cares!" Videl was broiling now. She was tired of not getting the truth. The crime fighting teen turned back to Gohan. "What's the matter? Nothing to say in the face of the truth?! Your father didn't teach you how to stand up for yourself or something?" Gohan instantly became rigid. "Oh wait, that's right! Your father is a coward that only uses cheap tricks to fight! My father went out to save the world and taught me how to do the same! Did your father teach you how to lie and cheat too? Because you are nothing but a masked fraud!"

"Videl! Stop say-"

"No Erasa!" Videl whirled on her friend. "YOU stop! Always defending him and his lies! You and Sharpner have been in on it the whole time! I thought you were my friends and here I figure out that you've been his freaking co-conspirators! Well I've had enough of your lies and excuses! I'm going to the press with this if you all keep lying to me!" Videl spun back to Gohan. "And you! Don't you even think about… leaving…" Her voice ground to a stop. She stared in shock at the look on his face.

She'd never seen an angry Gohan before. Sharpner would've been the only one even remotely ready for the sight because of the incident in the locker room. The dark eyed teen's eyes were narrowed into a death glare. His muscles tense, jaw clenched, brow furrowed, he looked about ready to explode. Or at least murder someone. Videl backed away a little more as she met his ferocious glare.

Gohan's normally dark eyes were red.

* * *

Gohan had intended on telling her. He was planning to ask her to wait until they weren't in class and then just, confess it all. Sharpner and Erasa were going to be there. They said they'd back him up. That Videl would come around to him because they knew she was one of the best of friends.

But she didn't stop.

She kept going. And it got worse with each passing minute. Gohan could feel his muscles tightening, his energy rising in an uncontrolled manner. It was all he could do to keep a straight face and answer calmly. He had a cap on the rising energy and thought he was doing pretty well, even after she mentioned his heritage.

And then she called his dad a coward.

Gohan was shocked at first. Her insults came hard and fast. Though it took him a moment to absorb what she had said, he got the message clearly. Videl openly mocked Goku.

Deep down, Gohan was head over heels for Videl. He cared for her very deeply and would have done everything and anything in his power for her health and happiness. Deeper still was the knowledge that she felt angry and betrayed and rightly so. That this was just the eruption of stress that she couldn't handle anymore. He was sure that she was still his friend, deep down.

But she just insulted the one person he idolized and loved more than anything in the world.

_You… YOU… _ Gohan could barely contain what he was feeling. His teeth ground together. His muscles clenched. His hands formed fists, nails cutting into his palms. A faint growling noise rose from his chest. His ki skyrocketed from his center. It poured through his body and pulsed under his skin.

Up on the lookout, Dende gasped aloud. The young guardian knew that if Gohan were pushed any further, that young lady would not survive the onslaught. He frantically sent a mental contact to Gohan while Piccolo shot down to the school. _Gohan! Listen to me Gohan!_ Dende sent his thoughts rapidly._ You've got to calm down!_

But the connection never went though. Gohan couldn't speak for anger, much less think. It was too much. At this moment, he wanted to prove Videl wrong. He wanted to make her take it back. His everything screamed '_fight me'_.

_Kid! _Piccolo barely broke through the anger blocking his mind. _Gohan! You have to reign in your ki! You're getting too wild! _Instead of replying, the teen saiyan sent his feelings to Piccolo, understanding he'd get the message. The namekian reeled under the weight of Gohan's anger, pain, and frustration.

_I know kid! But you have to get control back! _He tried to soothe the teen. _Listen, I have a message from Vegeta. He said it would help. I know it's hard, but right now I need you to listen!_

Gohan could not form the words telepathically. The pain from trying to cap his energy and anger took every ounce of his concentration. The roar he sent back to Piccolo almost knocked the warrior out of the sky.

As hard as he tried, he couldn't stop the physical changes from happening as his testing phase came back full swing. Things in his sight had a red tint to them. He could see Videl staring at him in horror. She must've said something, but all sounds were muffled and distant. His canines lengthened in his mouth, piercing his lower gums.

Meanwhile, Piccolo regained his balance. Wincing in pain, he continued zooming towards the school all. _I am no good at saiyago kid. _

Piccolo sent his message the instant Gohan lost control.

_Ochladit svůjk hněv bojovník._

(Cool your anger warrior)

Piccolo's deep voice resonated inside the teen's skull. Gohan felt an irrational peace settle over him as he heard the foreign words. His ki settled almost instantly. His muscles relaxed and unclenched almost against his will. He found he could hear again. Things were no longer red tinted, though he could still feel the long teeth in his mouth. The teen closed his eyes in relief.

His mind was clear. _I … relaxed. I'm still angry, but I no longer feel like I'm being torn apart. Thank you Piccolo. _He breathed easy for a moment. _What did you say?_

Piccolo wiped the sweat off his forehead in relief. _Vegeta said it meant "shut up and take it like a man"._ Piccolo heard Gohan's mental chuckle and smiled. _But, he said it wouldn't last long. You need to get out of there if you can't handle it._

_I'll... try to get out of class. I think I can stay calm enough for that, maybe… Just… give me a minute will you?_ Gohan opened his eyes and looked straight at Videl.

"My father died saving me from cell." He said, low voice abnormally close to a growl. "You have _no idea_ what you are talking about." His eyes flashed dangerously. Videl scooted back in her chair a bit more. "So please, shut… the hell… up."

* * *

_Woah! What was that?!_ Videl stared at the dark eyed teen in front of her. Gohan… growled at her? _Is he some sort of animal?! _

"What the hell?!" She turned to Erasa. "Did you see that?"

"Videl, I'm not talking to you!" Erasa turned her nose up at her friend. Her face had become uncharacteristically angry. "You went too far!" Everyone had lost someone to Cell, but most everyone had come back from the dead somehow. But there were still a few cases where someone didn't.

"Yeah." Sharpner had an equally angry expression on his face. He was ticked at being accused of conspiring against his friend and longtime crush. Not to mention his new-found friend had just been verbally attacked. "That was a low blow, even for you."

Videl looked back and forth between her friends. Her anger deflated rapidly. "But… I didn't mean to… I didn't know that…"

"Save it Videl." Erasa snapped. "You've said enough." Her eyes turned pityingly to Gohan. "You okay?"

Gohan shook his head no. After how close he'd just been to the breaking point, he couldn't bring himself to lie.

Erasa clenched her fists. "I understand. Hold on Gohan." She raised her hand. "Excuse me! Can Gohan be excused? He's not feeling so good."

The teacher waved his hand distractedly, not looking up from the book he was reading. He'd chosen to ignore the whole altercation. "Yes yes fine. Someone go with him though. I don't need someone else throwing up on the way to the nurse's office."

"I'll take him." Sharpner stood from his seat. "New kid probably doesn't even remember where the nurse's office is." The blond boy laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go." Slowly, Gohan moved from his seat and walked down the stairs, Sharpner behind him.

Videl watched them leave. She was gobsmacked. _What in the world just happened?_ Videl looked back to Erasa. The busty blonde was gathering up her things.

"Where are you going?" Videl asked timidly.

"Oh, somewhere where I won't be accused of lying to my best friend." Erasa sniffled slightly. "Somewhere where I won't have to defend a dear friend who lost his father and got ridiculed for it. Somewhere where people don't just jump to conclusions, make a big scene, and hurt those around her!" Her eyes had tears in them. "I'm leaving to make sure someone who is one of the nicest guys I know doesn't try to commit suicide or some kinda crap like that because the one person he had a crush on decided to publicly ridicule him and his family to prove a point!"

And with that, she flounced off.

Videl sat there in shock. Other students looked at her in astonishment. Her tirade got loud there for a while. The crime fighting teen set her head in her hands.

_I'm an idiot._

She let her anger get the best of her again. _I royally screwed it up didn't I?_ _I am the biggest jerk on the planet right now. How could I be so insensitive?! Frack! _Videl sighed, regret setting in. _It wasn't supposed to go this way. I was supposed to confront him, he was supposed to admit it, and we were supposed to go from there. Sure, maybe I'd convince him to fight me again. But no! I had to get too worked up and drive my friends away in the process! How am I supposed to fix this? _

The things she knew deep down resurfaced. Videl felt tears prick her eyes. _This is the absolute worst._

* * *

A/N: Whatever people have been throwing around, it has officially hit the fan.  
How long with Vegeta's secret words keep Gohan calm? How soon till we see the world tremble in the face of one angry hormonal dramallama uuber-supersaiyan? Find out next time on UndertheRadar-ball Z!

HEY HEY I AM MARRIED NAOW. Wedded life be happenin'. :3

Thanks for reading! If you liked it (or thought it was complete and utter bull honkey) Please leave a review! The next chappy is almost done, so it'll be up within the next week or so.


	18. Snappage

**DISCLAIMER**: I AM EXCITE. But own nothing. These are not my characters, nor is the plot of DBZ mine. Just in case you forgot from last chapter. :3

Ch. 18: Snappage

* * *

Gohan and Sharpner walked side by side down the hallway. The silence was deafening. Sharpner squirmed in the feeling, but Gohan walked undaunted by it. He was too focused on remaining calm. His muscles had already begun tensing again. It wouldn't be too long before he returned to a crazed state of mind. The calming effects of the saiyan words didn't last long at all.

"Hey man, you gonna be okay?"

Gohan startled slightly. He looked at Sharpner.

The blonde flinched. "Sorry."

Gohan realized he was scowling. Forcibly, he relaxed his features. "No, no I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out back there."

"Naw. I wasn't freaked out, but you looked like you were about to…" Sharpner smiled weakly. "I've never seen you so pissed. You gonna be alright?"

Gohan ran a hand through his hair slowly. "No. I… I don't think I'm going to be okay." His hand shook slightly as he let it drop to his side. "Things have been rough, you know? I… my power... I can't cope with it very well. When I get angry…" He shook his head. "Let's just say that I'd better not stick around."

Sharpner nodded. "I get you. Everybody needs to let off steam some way or another." He placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, wincing slightly when Gohan twitched. "I'll tell the teacher that you chose to catch the bus home since you were feeling too bad."

"Thanks Sharp."

"Gohan!" Both boys turned to see Erasa barreling towards them with her arms full of books and papers. "Gohan! Listen, Videl didn't really mean all that! She's probably up there regretting it right now and I swear she still…" Erasa's eyes went wide. "Oh Kami! Your mouth is bleeding!"

Gohan put a hand to his lips. Sure enough, blood came away on his fingertips. He pulled his lips back and touched the places where his fangs had cut into his gums. Erasa and Sharpner stared wide eyed at the canines as Gohan hissed in pain.

He ran his tongue over the bloody spots. "Eh, it's not bad. I've had worse." He smiled and the blondes looked away nervously. Somehow, that reaction made him a little edgy. "What's the matter? I'm not a vampire you know!"

Erasa laughed nervously. "Yeah, but we totally aren't used to seeing you with fangs."

"Ah." He scratched the back of his head in that customary nervous gesture. "Sorry, I'm not used to having them."

"What's happening to you?"

"It's a long story. I swear I'll tell you later." The itching under his skin had started up again. "Right now, I have got to get out of here. Things get bad when I get angry."

"Bad? How bad we talking about here?"

The ki inside him twitched back to life. Gohan's muscles spasmed and he broke out in a light sweat. "Guys, I swear I'll tell you later. I just need to go now, okay?" _I've got to get to Vegeta. He'll help me!_

Sharpner and Erasa glanced at each other nervously. But they nodded and half walked, half dashed to the entrance of the school. All the while, Gohan tried desperately to keep his rising ki under control.

They reached the front doors and burst out onto the front steps. Gohan was trembling.

Erasa looked at him, worried. "Gohan? Is there anything we can do for you?"

The wind whipped around the trio suddenly. A bright glow shone out from Gohan as he felt his calm slip away. His hair flickered gold as he turned to his friends. A growl, deep and guttural tore from his throat. "_Get out of here_!"

And with that, Gohan shot off into the sky in a burst of power, nearly knocking the two blonds off their feet. Jaws slack, they watched the tiny speck soar away.

"Huh." Sharpner managed before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped to the ground with a dull thud.

Erasa looked from the sky to Sharpner and back.

"No waaaaaaaay."

* * *

Vegeta stiffened at his place at the table. He promptly abandoned his lunch and shot into the lab.

Bulma let out a yelp. "Hey!" Vegeta was two inches from her face.

His voice was low, but urgent. "Woman, where are those sedatives?"

Bulma was outraged at first, but realization dawned at the look on his face. "Gohan." She breathed. At his nod, she spun around and rifled through drawers until she found two syringes.

She handed them to Vegeta. "Here, I tried to make them a bit stronger since the last time, but there wasn't too much more I could do."

He took them from her. He looked from his wife to the needles and back again. Without warning, he pulled her into a brief embrace before shooting out the door and into the air.

The prince knew this might get difficult.

* * *

"Breathe Gohan!" Piccolo was the first one to meet up with raging teen. "You have to stay calm until we're out of the city!"

"_SHUT UP!_" Gohan nearly roared at his mentor. The pounding in his head was getting to be too much. His blood boiled with the amount of energy unexpressed within him. His eyes turned back to red as they flew. He began flying faster and faster, soaring ahead of Piccolo until they were just outside the city limits.

Gohan stopped abruptly and whirled on Piccolo. His power level shot up to super saiyan without so much as a sound. He started flying back.

"What are you doing?!" Piccolo grabbed hold of his arm. "We need to head to the mountains!"

"So?!" Gohan snarled. "That… that… WOMAN is back there!" He clutched his head. "She…. She challenged my honor. I… I have to…" Tears, fresh and hot, worked their way down his face as he fought with himself. "I can't… She's… she's my… But I have to… AAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" The cap on his rising energy couldn't take it any longer. With that scream he shot up to the ascended saiyan level. Lightning arched off of him in random spurts. He spun in the air and rocketed back to the city.

"Damn it Gohan!" Piccolo swore. He shot after the teen as fast as he could muster. Gohan was already far, far ahead of him. _Dende!_ He called telepathically to the planet's guardian. _Dende! Let the others know about Gohan! He's too far gone for me to handle!_

The reply was instantaneous. _Already on it Piccolo! Vegeta is on his way! Krillin and Tien Shinhan are coming too!_

_Good!_ Piccolo saw Gohan screech to a stop high above the city's center. He blazed towards him and caught him in a full nelson, hoping to forestall any city busting that Gohan might've been contemplating.

But Gohan remained motionless. His eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw was clenched tight. "No…" Piccolo could barely make out the words hissed through gritted teeth. "No. You're wrong!" His body tensed in Piccolo's grip. "Dad… Father, please get up!"

Suddenly an energy pulse expanded from Gohan. The pulse tore at Piccolo, throwing him off the teen saiyan. Piccolo let out a grunt and righted himself in the air. The force pushed him back nearly a block away. Steadily, the pulse grew stronger, rattling windows and causing the ground to shake gently.

Piccolo fought the air, using his own energy to try and cut through it back to Gohan. When it didn't seem to be working, He flung an energy blast at the boy, hitting him square in the back.

Gohan released the energy pressure. He turned and stared straight into Piccolo's soul. The tall namekian felt the most unnerving sensation of having a big red target painted on his forehead. Those burning red eyes didn't see him as a mentor, comrade, or friend. To Gohan, he was just a hindrance.

Or a challenger.

"Shit." Piccolo swore gently.

Maybe it wasn't all bad. Sure there was a homicidal saiyan now gunning for him, but didn't that mean he could lead him out of the city? Piccolo mustered his courage and moved to fly away.

But Gohan was already there, punching him in the gut.

_DAMN._ Piccolo countered the blow with an elbow shot. He spun away, firing off multiple energy blasts at Gohan.

Gohan blocked the blow and deftly dodged the energy blasts. All the while, he moved closer to Piccolo. He approached the namekian abruptly, catching Piccolo off guard. His arm was pulled back in preparation to deal one heck of a punch.

Suddenly, Krillin slammed his body into Gohan, knocking him down to the earth below. Krillin fell back to hover with Piccolo, floating slightly in front of him.

"You all right?"

"Yeah." Piccolo smirked. "Took you long enough though."

"Hey! I was out shopping with Eighteen okay? It's not like I could just drop what I was doing to-" A fist to the face effectively silenced Krillin's explanation. Gohan followed up with a kick that sent the shorter warrior tumbling to the ground.

Piccolo had recovered enough to exchange blows with the glowing ascended saiyan. Back and forth they exchanged punches and kicks. Gohan gained the upper hand easily and began raining hurt down on the namekian. Unable to dodge out of the way, Piccolo raised his block and tried to wait it out.

Krillin zoomed up from the small crater he left in the street to try and get Piccolo out of the jam he was in. He attacked from the rear, dishing out rapid fire punches that he hoped Gohan wasn't prepared for. Gohan half turned, pinned Krillin with his gaze and began blocking and counterattacking with one hand.

Stunned and a little intimidated, Krillin did his best to keep up with the maddening pace of punches. What unnerved him the most was the silence. Not once did Gohan let out a shout or cry of pain or victory. On the opposite side, Piccolo redoubled his attack, hoping to at least knock Gohan off his game.

The half saiyan's fearsome glare deepened. Without a word, he let out another energy pulse, forcing the two warriors away. Krillin tumbled head over heels downward, landing on the roof of some nondescript skyscraper.

"Damnit! Dende said that he had snapped, but where in the world did this power come from?!" Krillin stared up in disbelief at his long time friend. "Gohan, what's happening to you man?" He noticed Vegeta's energy closing in on Gohan from above and crossed his fingers. Hopefully Vegeta would get close enough to knock him out.

Gohan's eyes lifted in time to see Vegeta hurtle down at him from the sky. He increased the ki pressure around him until it formed a ki shield. Vegeta pushed against it strongly, shouting something unintelligible. In his hand a ball of energy.

However, he couldn't break through the intense pressure surrounding Gohan. Vegeta screamed louder and ascended to the second level of supersaiyan, but it still looked like he was moving through thick glue. He grit his teeth and focused the ki in his hand to his fingertips. It cut like a slow knife towards Gohan. The teen watched it approach, showing no emotion.

At the last minute, he knocked Vegeta's hand away. At the touch, Vegeta snapped into action. Flinging out punches faster than the eye could see, he upped his power level to nearly match Gohan. The half saiyan responded in kind.

It was incredible to watch them go at it. Tiny shockwaves could be seen as a punch or kick would connect. Piccolo floated at the edge of the conflict, looking for a chance to help. Krillin shook himself of awe and flew up beside him.

"This is insane! And this has happened before?" He asked Piccolo. "What did you do then?!"

"We were able to get him with a sedative. I think Vegeta has it on him, but he's too focused on the fight to get it in there. We need to break Gohan's concentration."

"How are we supposed to do that?! You see how he's fighting Vegeta! Poor guy can barely keep up!" They watched as Vegeta was knocked to the ground in with a concussive force. Gohan remained hovering in the air above him. The prince of all saiyans let out some angry choice words and shot back up to resume the confrontation.

"We need to throw him off kilter with something." Piccolo watched the energy around Gohan pulse in greater and greater surges. "My guess is he's probably stuck in a memory."

"A memory?"

"Yes. One he has emotional attachment to. It'll take some doing, but we can try to snap him out of it enough to get him with the sedative."

Krillin looked incredulously at the green man. "So we just have to figure out which memory it is, and snap him out of it?"

Piccolo nodded. The monk sighed. "How in the world are we going to get close enough to figure that out?" He motioned to the fight. "It's not like we can just ask him."

"Hn."

Krillin scratched his hair anxiously. "Maybe Vegeta can figure it out? He's the closest one right now."

"Hn."

Krillin shot Piccolo a withering look. "You are so helpful, you know that?" He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "HEY VEGETA!"

Vegeta got decked in the face. Irritated, he hollered back at Krillin. "WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"PICCOLO THINKS GOHAN IS STUCK IN A MEMORY!"

"*&amp;%*&amp;^$$!# &amp;^*!"

Krillin flinched. "Sheesh. No need to be so rude." He cupped his hands again. "SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHICH ONE! MAYBE WE CAN SNAP HIM OUT OF IT!"

Krillin zipped out of the way just as Gohan knocked Vegeta in his general direction. Gohan followed up with a sizeable ki blast. The saiyan prince used both hands to try and block it. Gohan fazed behind him and kicked him into the energy wave. Vegeta screamed his pain and anger before spinning around and firing a point blank blast into Gohan's face. Gohan continued fighting like it had no effect.

"QUIT INTERRUPTING OUR FIGHT!"

Krillin scowled. "JUST TRY IT VEGETA!"

The glowing teenager turned his gaze to Krillin. He pointed his finger and shot a beam of energy that caught the monk's shoulder. Krillin screamed in pain and, in the sudden distraction, Vegeta unleashed a burst of energy, fazing around Gohan and catching him in a headlock.

Gohan grit his teeth. The ki pressure around him swelled in intensity. Vegeta did his absolute best to hang on to the boy.

"NOW! DO IT NOW!" He shouted. "IN MY POCKET!

Piccolo shot towards the pair. He snatched a syringe out of Vegeta's pocket and jabbed it into Gohan's neck.

Letting out a howl, the half-saiyan struggled mightily against his restraints. Though wounded, Krillin and Piccolo added their might in holding Gohan down, but it only seemed to enrage the boy even more. The power surging from Gohan tore at their muscles. Tiny arches of lightning burned them.

Still they held on doggedly. Hoping that the sedative would take effect.

Krillin squeezed his eyes shut tight. "Is it working?!"

"Shut up and just hold on!"

"I'm TRYING Vegeta!" Krillin felt Gohan flex under his grip. He knew that it wouldn't be long before he would be flung off like an old dishrag. "I can't take much more!"

"Hit him again!" Vegeta shouted to Piccolo.

The namekian reached for the second syringe. His grip loosened for a mere millisecond. Gohan flung him off with a shout, freeing up his left side.

"Piccolo!" Krillin cried. He looked up at Gohan. "Gohan! Please Gohan! Snap out of it!" Krillin felt himself begin to tear free. He retightened his grip once more. "What's wrong with you?!"

Gohan tensed. He took in a deep breath.

"_FRIEZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH_!"

Vegeta's eyes grew wide. His grip loosened. In the small lapse in concentration, Gohan gave him a swift backwards head butt to the face. The prince was sent tumbling away.

"Piccolo! Gohan's stuck in a memory from Namek!" Krillin hollered. "From when we fought with Frieza!"

Gohan noticed Krillin. Tossing him off his side, Gohan fired a punch deep into the monk's stomach. Krillin felt the wind get knocked from his lungs. He fell listlessly to the ground, trying frantically to regain his breath. All the while, the power surrounding Gohan only grew larger. His hair started growing longer. The lightning pulsing off of him became more frequent. His hands went to his head, cradling it as though he were in pain.

Vegeta joined Piccolo at the outskirts of Gohan's energy field. The tall warrior was bleeding from the badly torn muscles in his left arm. Piccolo turned to the flame haired man. "It's happening again! He's going higher! The sedative didn't work!"

"No shit Sherlock!" Vegeta growled through a broken nose. "That's we have the second dose!" Both fighters were badly wounded.

"What good is that going to do?! We can't get close enough to administer it!" Piccolo bared his teeth in frustration. "If he's stuck in a memory again, someone who was there has to get him out!"

"We were all there you idiot! Neither one of us snapped him out of it this time!"

"You were dead!"

"Like that was my fault!" Vegeta shouted angrily. "You were near death as well!"

"Not as dead as you were!"

"Children, please stop fighting." Krillin floated slowly up to join the two warriors. "Besides, I am positive I was much deader than either of you."

Piccolo and Vegeta shared a look. Piccolo smirked. "At least he admits it."

"Shut it green bean."

"Guys…" Krillin took a painful breath. "Last time, which memory was it?"

The wind whipped stronger around them as Piccolo answered. "The first time I died."

"So his connection with you was the strongest and you were able to snap him out of it right?" Piccolo nodded and Krillin continued. "So whoever had the strongest connection should be able to knock Gohan out of it." They thought in silence for a moment.

Vegeta swore. Piccolo facepalmed. Krillin groaned. They had all reached the same conclusion.

Goku.

"Why didn't that fool come back from the dead already?!" Vegeta ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Beats me." Krillin shrugged. He looked at the ground and watched in horror as it began to shake violently. A result of the tremendous power pushing down on it. The monk swallowed nervously. "Anybody got King Kai's number?"

Vegeta facepalmed. He looked back up at Gohan.

But he wasn't there.

"Shit!" Vegeta looked around frantically. "Where'd the brat go?!"

Krillin's eyes went wide. He pointed over Vegeta's shoulder. Vegeta turned to be face to face with burning red eyes.

Vegeta was struck speechless.

"_Ki ko ho!_" Vegeta and Gohan were forced to the ground by the massive wave of power coming from above.

"Tien!" Krillin grinned in relief. "You made it!"

Gohan shot out of the hole created by the power surge. His long golden hair streaming out behind him, the saiyan teen rammed full force into Tien Shinhan. All three eyes bugged out in pain. Gohan was a blur of motion. Mere moments later, Tien fell unconscious into the crater below.

"Aaah! Tien!" Krillin was horrified. How could Gohan do such a thing? To his own friends? Krillin felt a rage fill him from top to bottom. "GOHAN!" Krillin soared up to Gohan. He slowed as he drew near, the pressure forcing him to slow down.

"Gohan! We're your friends! Why are you fighting us?!" Krillin shouted over the roar of the wind surrounding them. "We're on the same side! Please! Just tell me! WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING?!"

Gohan appeared to listen for a moment. He looked at Krillin, eyes slowly clearing. Krillin watched in amazement as red turned to fathomless blue. Gohan looked around in confusion before his gaze settled on Krillin. Confusion turned to surprise. He took in the wounds on Krillin's body. Surprise turned to horror. He looked down at his own body and everything registered.

"Krillin…. What…" His hand went to his head. "I… I'm sorry I… I don't…"

"BASTARD!" Vegeta tore through the air at max speed.

"No Vegeta! Don't!" Krillin's hope shattered as Gohan's eyes returned to red. He was helpless to stop the wave of energy that pushed both fighters back to the earth.

Gohan started to scream as the power coming out of him rose higher and higher. He was close to a new level of power. None of the fighters on the ground had any doubts about that.

"Darn it Vegeta!" Krillin shouted his anger over the din. "I broke through to him and you screwed it up!"

"Like hell you did!" Vegeta hollered back. "The power was still the same! That fool couldn't even hear you through his rage!"

"You're wrong!" Krillin sunk down to his knees. "You're wrong." He said more softly. "He spoke to me."

"It's alright Krillin." Piccolo's gruff voice rose to be heard above the screaming. "At least this way Gohan will find his limit."

Krillin sighed. "It just seems like he is looking for something else." He watched as buildings around them started to crumble. He set his head in his hands. "Goku, I wish you were here."

"Somebody say my name?"

Everything stopped. The powerful pressure vanished. The screaming stopped. Wide eyed, the companions stared at each other in disbelief. Pure silence filled the atmosphere. The earth held its breath in anticipation.

Krillin swallowed. "G-goku?" he managed.

"Yep! It's me!" The cheery voice floated over the air.

Krillin's jaw dropped. Vegeta's eyes popped out of his head. But Piccolo looked up to Gohan.

The expression on that kid's face was priceless. Gohan's jaw was slack. His power level had all but disappeared. His hair returned to black. Goku's voice had shocked him out of the memory that held him so tightly.

Piccolo's head snapped back to Vegeta. "The second dose! Quickly!"

Vegeta broke through his shock. He shoved his hands into his pockets. Cursing softly, he looked around on the ground.

Piccolo groaned. "Don't tell me."

"Hey, what's going on guys?" Goku's voice spoke up again, sending shivers up their spines. Hearing a disembodied voice will do that to you.

"You lost it?!"

"I didn't lose it!" Vegeta retorted, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "It must've fallen out in the heat of battle!"

"We're dead." Krillin said.

The three were startled when a bright streak shot up out of the crater. It zoomed across the sky to stop at Gohan. Tien was conscious again.

The three eyed man swiftly jabbed Gohan with the needle. The sedatives flooded the stunned teen's system. Gohan's eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped into Tien's arms. Without the continuous power pulsing through his system, he was unable to completely block out the sedative. He was out like a light.

Tien floated back down to the others. He laid Gohan down on the ground gently before slumping into a sitting position himself.

He let out a deep sigh. "Good to see you guys too."

Krillin jumped up, pounding Tien on the back happily. "Alright! You did it Tien!"

"Where'd you find it?" Vegeta growled.

"It nicked me when I landed on it." Tien winced and pointed to the crater both he and Vegeta fell into. "I figured out what it was after my leg fell asleep."

"Thank you Tien." Piccolo nodded.

"Yeah, who knows what would've happened if you weren't around." Krillin said, grinning.

"Uh, guys?" Goku's voice sounded confused. "Did I miss something?"

Piccolo sighed. "We'll tell you later."

"What did you want, Kakarrot?!" Vegeta growled at the air. He didn't appreciate Goku's voice freaking him out like that.

"Oh! Just wanted to let you guys know that King Kai is letting me come back for a day!"

The warriors stared aghast at each other. "What."

"Yup!" Goku continued cheerfully. "After 7 years, I'm allowed one day back on earth. I think it's because I saved the world or something like that."

Krillin's face split into a grin. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! Could you let everyone know that I'll be showing up tomorrow evening?" Goku said. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but King Yenma wouldn't let me. Something about heart attacks and too many dead people."

Tien snorted. "Yeah, no kidding."

"Haha!" Goku laughed lightly. "Thanks guys! I'd better go before King Kai makes me pay for the long distance again. See ya tomorrow!"

"Bye Goku!" Krillin called cheerily. He turned to his companions. "Did you hear that? This is great!"

"It'll be nice to see Goku again." Tien smiled. "It's been a long time since we've seen him last."

"Pah! That fool can stay dead for all I care!" Vegeta growled, spitting blood on the ground. "If anything, the only reason I'd allow him to come back is so that we can have a rematch." He glared at Gohan. "Though I doubt that will happen anytime soon."

"Hn." Piccolo murmured. "Funny how he should call just in time to stop Gohan."

"He probably didn't realize anything was wrong." Krillin shrugged. "King Kai probably got a call from Dende or something."

"Well whatever it was," Tien said, relaxing back against some rubble, "I'm not complaining."

"Keep your wits about you." Vegeta frowned seriously. "This is going to happen again." Krillin and Tien shared a look as Vegeta continued. "The power he was emitting didn't even out. He didn't find his limit and will continue to search for it. He will fight again even though" He nudged Gohan with his boot, "the next time may be his last."

* * *

A/N: Aaaaaaaaaand this is the best stopping place I found.

Don't hate! This was originally on the previous chapter, but it was too long! I just… cropped it and beefed it up a little. Hopefully this little Gohan outburst holds youse guys over.

*scurries up a wall* RUN AWAAAAAAY!

Thanks for all the kind reviews! I am honestly so touched by how well you guys have responded to this fic. Thanks again for the confidence!


	19. Working it Out

**DISCLAIMER**: I am not Toriyama. Subsequently I own none of his ideas.

Ch. 19: Working it Out

* * *

"FRIEZA!" Gohan sat straight up in bed, breathing hard. He was ready to fight his way out from the horde of monsters from his nightmares. His eyes darted around the room. The teen sighed as he recognized his surroundings.

"Kami… what a nightmare." He flopped back on his bed wearily. He could've sworn he was just fighting Frieza and his cronies. The ginyu force, the darkening sky, it all felt so real. Even the part where they kept flipping back to images of his friends and comrades. They kept insulting his father… they kept hurting his friends… He hated dreams like that.

He flipped over and snuggled into his pillow. There was a part of his dream where Goku came to the rescue. _But that can't happen,_ He thought sadly, _Dad is dead. He didn't want to come home. _Gohan gripped the pillow harder. _All because of me._

Gohan slapped the side of his head ruefully. _Dangit Gohan. You aren't supposed to think like that. _He rolled over to face the wall. _Yeah… but it's how I feel sometimes._

The young saiyan scrubbed at his eyes tiredly. _Geez, I'm talking to myself. First sign of insanity or something._ He laid there for a while, staring vacantly at the ceiling. Insanity would sure explain what was going on with the world lately. Then again, everything in his life was crazier than a monkey reading Shakespeare whilst balancing a toaster on an umbrella. He chuckled at the mental image. He was very tired.

He glanced at the clock. It was barely past 6 PM. He looked at it, confused. _When did I go to bed? I usually don't fall asleep until after 9._ Gohan tried to remember the day.

He couldn't remember anything.

_What in the… I don't remember coming home today. I don't even remember going to school! _Gohan put a hand to his head. Everything felt tired, his mind was fuzzy, and he was in his pajamas. He wasn't even hungry. That alone tipped him off that something was wrong.

_It couldn't have been that long ago._ He puzzled over it for a while, still drawing no conclusions. Gohan glared at the ceiling and groaned._ And now I can't sleep. _He stood from his bed and tottered towards the kitchen. _Maybe a drink will help me remember. Or at least help me relax enough to fall asleep again._ Better to sort things out when he wasn't a sleepy mess.

He made it to the fridge and poured himself a glass of milk. He took a long gulp and sighed contentedly. He was about to take it back to bed when he heard voices coming from the living room.

He tilted his head to the side. _What's Krillin doing here?_ The voices were low, but recognizable. _Piccolo's here too?_ Taken in by curiosity, Gohan tiptoed over to the doorway and listened in.

"… so he shouldn't go to school anymore." Krillin was telling Chichi. "Or at least until this whole power thing gets sorted out." He glanced over at Piccolo. "I'm actually still fuzzy on why this is happening to Gohan anyway."

Piccolo grunted. "Saiyan life cycle."

Krillin sent him a look. "Oh, yeah. That explains _everything_."

Piccolo smirked good-naturedly. "Why don't you ask Vegeta?"

"Are you kidding? When I asked him he offered to show me himself!" Krillin shuddered. "Just because I've been to the afterlife doesn't mean I want to die again!"

"Alright." Chichi sighed tiredly. "Let me get this straight. Gohan lost control again, _in school_ no less, and took out both of you?"

Gohan froze. _I… I did what!?_

Krillin winced. "More or less. But Vegeta and Tien were there too!" He grumbled softly. "Can't pin the whole thing on us…"

"We didn't stand a chance." Piccolo frowned. He glared at the doorway. Gohan lowered his power level and held his breath. "Are you sure Gohan is still asleep?"

"He was out cold. Like a rock." Krillin turned back to Chichi. "Anyway, something set him off in school. No idea what it was, but when I met up with him, he was stuck in a memory from when we were on Namek." He shook his head in memory of it. "I don't know how much he's told you, but it was pretty rough time for the kid."

Gohan sucked in a breath. Did those dreams… Did those memories make him snap or something?

"He didn't tell me much about it." Chichi's face grew even more concerned. "Just that Frieza was a monster."

"He was young." Piccolo supplied. "Too young for anything that he went through growing up. That time fighting on Namek left some scars in his memory. Whether he admits it or not."

Gohan put the hand that wasn't holding the milk to his head. _Oh Kami alive. I made a mess of everything again didn't I?_ Instead of fighting Frieza and his cronies, he actually fought his friends. He hurt them bad enough that they had to use the sensu beans. He leaned against the wall in anguish. _I really am a monster._

"Oh… my poor baby…"

"Don't worry Chichi." Krillin patted her gently on the shoulder. "Gohan's tough. He made it through that hard stuff. And he'll make it through this."

_I'm not the one you should be worried about. _Gohan shook his head. _What would happen if I did something unfixable? _

"B-But Vegeta said…"

"Hey, Vegeta doesn't know Gohan like we do." Krillin smiled comfortingly at the teary eyed mother. "He'll come out of this stronger than ever."

_I wish that were true. I'm only half saiyan you know._ Gohan let a small smile slip across his face. _But thanks for the compliment anyway._

"B-but…"

"He's right." Piccolo looked away, embarrassed. He didn't like tears any more than he liked showing sympathy. "Gohan is a warrior. He won't die from this. He didn't find his limit, but something like this won't kill him."

_Aww geez. _Gohan blushed slightly, embarrassed and pleased. Piccolo's compliments and wise words made him feel better. Maybe things would work out somehow? Gohan shook his head and started back to his room. _I am way too tired to take this in right now. _The emotional roller coaster that he couldn't remember left him exhausted.

Chichi sniffled. "I hope so. I just… I worry so much sometimes." She took a deep breath. "Now, what was the other thing you wanted to tell me?"

Curiosity stopped Gohan at the foot of the stairs. He turned back to stand beside the doorway and listen.

Krillin grinned broadly and spread his arms wide. "Goku's coming home!"

Gohan stopped breathing.

Chichi was similarly struck speechless. After a moment, she managed to say "W-what?"

"Goku's coming back for a day! He contacted us via King Kai during the fight with Gohan. King Yenma is letting him come back for 24 hours because he saved the earth or something!"

"Goku…" Chichi's eyes welled up with tears again. "I don't believe it! He's really coming back?"

They were startled out of the conversation by the sound of breaking glass. Chichi whirled around to see Gohan standing in the doorway, a shattered glass of milk dripping from his hand.

"Gohan!" Chichi raced over to her son. "Gohan are you alright?"

Gohan instead looked to Krillin, eyes wide. "Are… are you serious?" He said in a small voice, oblivious to the broken glass cutting into his hand.

Krillin glanced nervously at Piccolo. The tall warrior nodded. "It's true."

Gohan, still in a state of shock, looked at his mother who was picking pieces of glass out of his hand.

"Mom."

Chichi looked up, eyes watery.

"Mom," Gohan's voice wavered, "Dad's coming home." Even as his eyes welled with tears, a bright grin nearly broke his face in two. "He's coming back!" He pulled his mother into a tight hug. Uncontrollable laughter bubbled out of him. "Dad's coming back!"

"Yes!" Chichi had tears running down her face. She leaned into her son's embrace. "Yes he is!"

Krillin grinned. Even Piccolo smiled.

Goku was coming back.

* * *

Videl flopped on her bed, exhausted. The recent earthquake had been the worst Satan city's ever had. Videl was out in the streets, helping to get people out of wrecked cars, directing citizens to shelters, and rescuing trapped persons from rubble. It had been a very long day.

Even worse, Videl was still wrestling with what happened earlier with her friends. She sighed shakily. Just the thought of that made her want to cry. She hadn't lost her temper like that in a long time.

And boy did she regret it.

_What am I going to do?_ Videl squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out tears. _Gohan probably hates me, Erasa isn't going to talk to me anymore, and Sharpner … Ugh. What a mess._ She grit her teeth against the water seeping out her eyes and stomped to the bathroom. The crime fighter stripped of her dusty clothes and got into the shower.

The hot water eased her muscles, but did nothing to ease her mind. She leaned against the shower wall in despair. _What am I going to do? _Just the idea of losing her closest friends to a stupid outburst put her on the edge of tears. She sniffled, holding her tears back with what remained of her pride. _Erasa… oh, I'm so sorry Erasa. I'm sorry Sharpner._ _I shouldn't have treated you guys like that. I didn't even have the whole story. I jumped to conclusions… just like I tell everyone not to do._ She scowled at the wall. _Kami, I'm such a hypocrite._

Her thoughts moved to Gohan. Videl grimaced. _I shouldn't have acted that way to him. But… but he lied to me and…_ Her pride tried gamely to fight the truth of the matter. She'd overreacted. Gohan was her friend. She remembered the way he always talked to her, respectfully, like a partner, always helping. She said those things to him and saw the shock on his face, the sadness, his anger, his pain… she felt horrible. He never insulted anyone, he stood up for those in need and she just... He wanted to be her friend and even agreed to teach her and she said…

Videl felt a bit of shock. She remembered… why she liked him.

She liked him.

"Gohan." Videl muttered brokenly. "Kami, I'm so sorry." She liked that cute nerdy superhero. His voice, his awkward swagger, and the way he would stand up to enemies fearlessly. She remembered his bright smile, his golden laugh, his goofy poses as Saiyaman, and his kindness. She did like him. And from Erasa's parting shot, she learned that he had a crush on her.

And she ruined their relationship.

Videl opened the floodgates. She cried until the shower ran cold. Ever feel like a dirtbag? Say it with me, "_I am a dirt bag_." She shivered in the cold water, ultimately done with the world. Turning off the water, she grabbed a towel and dried herself off.

Guilt and regret continued to wash over her as she crawled into bed. She hadn't really meant what she said. She was just too angry. And now she'd ruined whatever could've happened between her and the boy whose dark eyes captured her all too often.

_I… I've got to talk to him._ She thought firmly. _Even if he decides never to be my friend again,_ Videl felt more tears prick her eyes, _I have to apologize. It's the right thing to do. Screw the 'befriend and oust Gohan' plan! It sucked! I have to tell him… That I'm sorry and I…_

She screwed her eyes shut against more tears. _I'm sorry, Gohan._

Videl wasn't sure when she drifted off to sleep; only that it was very late at night. When she opened her eyes again, the sun had just broken the horizon. Her face was puffy from crying all night. She went to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She looked in the mirror and resolved to make things right today. No matter what would happen.

"Whaddaya mean he's sick today?!"

Erasa frowned sympathetically at her friend. "Sorry Videl. He just didn't show up for school."

Videl slumped down into her seat. "Great. No. Fantastic." She had gone straight to Erasa first thing that morning and apologized profusely. Erasa burst into tears and forgave her, saying that she knew it all along and that they were still best of friends and all that jazz. Videl ended up being the one to comfort Erasa, instead of the other way around. Erasa told her how they actually figured out Gohan's superhero-ness. The blonde didn't mention anything about Gohan being the Gold fighter. She promised Gohan she'd keep it a secret.

"Don't sweat it Videl. You can talk to him on Monday."

"Monday!? No way!" Videl clenched her fists. "Sweating this out over the weekend is something I don't wanna do. I need to apologize before I lose my nerve!"

"Okay okay. Sheesh." Erasa teased. "But if I'm not mistaken, I'd say you were a little scared!"

Videl stared at her. Erasa frowned. "Are you?"

"No..."

Erasa knew by now how to read her best friend. She sighed. "Oh come on Videl. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm not scared."

"Gohan won't hate you forever."

"I never said he would."

"He'll still talk to you, though I can imagine that it'll be super awkward."

"You are reeeeeally helping the situation, you know?"

"He might make big puppy eyes at you until you become his love-slave." (pffffffff)

"Whaaaaat?" Videl snorted. "Like _that_ will ever happen."

"Nothing's set in stone. And anyway, you like the Gold Fighter, remember?" Erasa mentioned almost too casually. "Like, Gohan's just a friend riiiiiiiiiight?"

"Get your head out of the clouds." Videl said, blushing slightly. That's right. She liked the Gold Fighter. Not Gohan. What was she thinking last night? Just her guilt blowing things out of proportion. Gohan was her friend! That's it! No more!

Right?

Erasa giggled. She elbowed Sharpner in the ribs. "Hear that Sharpie? Videl's got the hots for Gohan!"

"No surprise there." Sharpner murmured. He'd accepted Videl's apology, though he was still a little sore from her accusations. He ignored Videl's indignant look and continued, "I'm a little surprised you forgave her so quickly, Erasa."

"She's my best friend. Of course I'm gonna forgive her! Plus, as her punishment, she has to be my shopping slave for three weeks."

Videl's head hit the desk and Sharpner chuckled. "That's more like it."

"You guys are the worst." Videl said, hiding a smile. "Though I'm a little curious why you didn't ask for something Sharpner. Usually you ask for a kiss or hug or something." She paused. "Not that I'm complaining of course, it's just weird." She added quickly.

Sharpner blushed. "Oh, well… ya see…" He reached over and tentatively took Erasa's hand in his own. Erasa grinned, blushing.

Videl's eyebrows lifted into her hairline. "Oh! Awesome!" Her smile left and her eyes narrowed. She leaned in close to the teen. "If you break her heart, I'll break your face. And your neck and your arms and legs and… tell me again, what's your favorite organ?"

"Aww! You're so sweet Videl!" Erasa bubbled while Sharpner turned white. Videl chuckled and turned back to face the teacher. It was kind of a free/party day because of the Satan day assembly and all that. A few teachers still gave homework, but it was easy stuff. The teenage crime fighter frowned. Gohan was going to miss all of this nonsense. How lucky could the guy be?

"Attention students!" The teacher announced, breaking Videl's reverie. "It is time to turn in your papers! Please pass your reports to the front."

Videl pulled her report out of her bag. She stared at it a moment. Suddenly, a light bulb popped into existence above her head. She raised her hand. "Excuse me sensei," she said very politely, "but Son Gohan isn't here. Would it be terrible to suggest someone bring him his homework from today?" Erasa shot Videl a look that said 'the heck are you doing?' but she ignored it. "I am sure he just hates the fact that he has to get sick and miss out on today's festivities."

The teacher looked up, surprised. "Ah. Erm… well it does sound like an exemplary idea Miss Satan. However, Mr. Son lives quite the fair distance away. You would not be able to go to his home and make it back in time for the tournament."

"That's just fine sir," Videl stuffed her paper back in her bag. "I didn't plan on entering the tournament anyway." Sharpner looked at her incredulously. He didn't believe it.

"But your father…"

Videl shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been privy to his speech already. I got the dry run the other day. He won't mind if I miss it. As far as the tournament goes, I would have declined to go anyway that I should give the rest of the student body a chance this year. My father would certainly condone this action." She narrowed her eyes at her teacher. "Now may I go? Or should I tell him I had to ask permission?"

The teacher swallowed noisily. "Oh no… no that won't be necessary. You do know where Mr. Son lives?"

"More or less." She shrugged. "May I go?"

The teacher nodded. "Alright. But please, don't let the principal know."

Videl hurried away from school, not at all surprised that she was able to get away with that mess of a plan. Lucky for her, people were so intimidated by her father that she was able to pull off most anything. Not that she liked to take advantage of people like that, but sometimes it was helpful.

She raced up to the rooftop, pulling out her jet copter capsule and throwing it on the ground. She ignored the cloud of smoke and climbed up immediately into the vehicle. The sooner she got to Gohan's house, the sooner she'd get this thing straightened out. Heck the sooner she got away from that stupid assembly the better! Of course she heard her father's speech before. It was the same one he said every stinking year! She had quite enough of this recent bout of grandstanding with the press. Any more and she might get physically ill. She loved her father, but sometimes it was a little too much.

Videl glanced at her GPS. She had a long ways to go. Probably wasn't a good thing for her to take so much time getting there. She cranked open the throttle and pushed the jet copter to its limits. Videl had a firm grip on the wheel and her eyes were on the sky ahead, but her mind began to wander. It filled up with scenarios of what would happen when she apologized.

_'GTFO my house you backstabbing heartless witch!'_

_*smile* 'Oh sure, I forgive you Videl.'_

_'I forgive you, but I'll never trust you again.'_

_'Yes Videl! I love you forever my honey lumpkin angel dumplin!' _(gross)

'_Sure, but first allow me to get a restraining order on the one person whose life I saved countless times and then decided to tear me apart in front of the entire class. Oh wait that was you.'_

_'Only if you become my sidekick.'_

_'Go ahead,' *fighting pose* 'make my day.'_

_'Revenge is a dish best served cold.'_

_*big puppy dog eyes* 'Oh, I'll forgive you,' *sexy grin* 'if you become my personal love slave.'_

_Dang it Erasa!_ Videl's face turned red. _I don't wanna think that about Gohan! I mean_, she blushed harder, _he's not the Gold Fighter or anything. I like him, but... I mean I don't wanna be his girlfriend. _Gohan wasn't Gold fighter material anyway.

Videl sighed. Hopefully this visit wouldn't dig her into a deeper hole than she was already in. It was bad enough that she just realized that she might've just pushed their relationship off a cliff.

Her brain was spinning in circles. First to things he might say, then to things he might do, and finally circling back around to her regret. It was kind of wearing her out. She looked back at her GPS and groaned. It was going to be a long ride.

About three hours had passed before she finally made it to the area where she thought his house was. It was an agonizing three hours. Boring, repetitive, depressing. Sure the countryside looked pretty, but it didn't matter to Videl. She was too focused on her own mess.

Another fifteen minutes passes before she saw the little domed building on the side of a glen. _That must be it. _She thought nervously. _Dang, but he lives in the middle of nowhere. _She lowered her jet copter to the ground, powering it down slowly as to prevent overheating from the long trip. As she jumped out of the vehicle, she realized that she didn't know what she was going to say. _What if he answers the door? _Videl started sweating bullets.

Videl didn't get nervous very easily. She's been on enough police stakeouts. Bad guys never really scared her. Doing the dangerous things never intimidated her! She was fine with all manner of wild animals, so why is it that she's petrified of knocking on the door of her fellow classmate? How foolish! Videl still has her pride you know! Grimacing, she mustered her courage, walked up to the door, and knocked.

A distinctly female voice called out from within. "Coooooming!"

Videl froze. There was another factor she hadn't considered. The door opened and she came face to face with Gohan's mom. Aka Anonymous.

"Can I help you?" Anonymous asked politely.

Videl was awestruck. Anonymous looked almost the same as she did all those years ago! The same lithe build, the same fierce eyes... A few more wrinkles and lines, but it was her!

Nervous thoughts of Gohan flew out of her mind. Almost immediately she started babbling excitedly.

"Oh Kami, it's really you! The famous Anonymous! Master of the Kame style! Final contender in the 23rd WMAT! One of the only women ever to make it that far! The first person to ever get engaged on the battlefield! How in the world did that happen? You totally could've won the WMAT! You had that guy on the ropes! Oh Kami on high you are so cool! You are a role model to women everywhere! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh I'm like your biggest fan!" Videl fumbled around in her pockets, completely missing the flabbergasted look on Anonymous's face. "Shoot! Hold on a sec! I gotta go get paper!"

As she ran back to her jet copter, Anonymous blushed modestly and smiled. How nice to still have a fan after all these years. Videl came scurrying back with her schoolbook on hand.

"Can I please have your autograph?" She panted.

Anonymous chuckled, taking the pen and paper. "Of course you can, but please, call me Chichi."

Stars filled Videl's blue eyes. "Chichi." She breathed. "Your name is Chichi." She took the autograph reverently and folded the notebook closed, hugging it tightly to her chest. "Ooooooh! Thank you so much! I can't believe I got your autograph! I have so much I want to ask you!"

"Oh my! It's so nice having a fan!" Chichi giggled. She pointed to the notebook in Videl's arms. "Are you from orange star high?"

"Oh! Yes ma'am!"

"Well I appreciate you coming all the way out here," Chichi raised an eyebrow, "but why aren't you in school now?"

_Right. Back to business. _Videl sobered. "Ah, well... I came to give Gohan some homework." _And apologize for the mess I made._

"And what exactly are you to Gohan?"

"Wh-what?!" Videl stared aghast at the woman. _I just met her and already she's accusing me of being Gohan's…_ Her face went red. "No! I'm not… No! I'm just a friend!"

"Is that so?" Chichi said skeptically. "And what homework was so important that he had to be bothered on his sick day?"

Videl felt her temper spark. She took a deep breath. "It's for Satan day."

"Satan day?" Chichi scoffed. "Oh what will that goon think up next?"

Videl bristled. "Do you have something against my father ma'am?" She tried to keep her voice level.

"Your father?" Chichi said, startled. "Hercule Satan is your father?"

"Yeah. I'm Videl Satan."

"Oh." Chichi's gaze filled with pity. "I'm sorry dear."

"What's that supposed to-"

"I'm afraid I haven't thought very highly of Mr. Satan ever since he badmouthed my husband."

Videl remembered who she married. Her temper cooled slightly. "Oh. That's right. You married Son Goku." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I'm sorry he said those things. Dad tends to be a little over dramatic in front of a camera."

"Humph. Thank you Videl, but I think I'll not forgive him until he says it personally." Chichi waved the conversation away with her hand. "Anyway, Gohan's not home right now. I think he went fishing down at the lake." She turned around and called into the house. "Gooooten! Goten, would you please come here?"

_He's fishing?_ Videl puzzled. _So… he's not sick?_ She glanced behind Chichi as a familiar head of black spikes appeared from behind her.

"Yeah mom?" Goten saw Videl and broke into a grin. "Videl! You came to visit!" He dashed towards her, only to stop at the threshold.

Videl held her arms out. "Hey kiddo!" Her frustration evaporated at the sight of the little boy. _What a breath of fresh air he is._

Goten hesitated. He shifted uneasily at the edge of the doorway.

Videl frowned. "What's the matter?"

He looked up at his mom nervously. "Am I still grounded to the house?"

Videl had to hold in a giggle. _What a kid._

"Yes." Chichi said sternly. She took in Goten's sorrowful face and heaved a sigh. "You have to take responsibility for your actions." Her voice took on a more mischievous tone as she turned back into the house. "However, I'm going to go start lunch. So if you wanted to help Videl find Gohan, I really wouldn't know anything about it."

"Really?! Thanks Mom!" He jumped up and wrapped his arms and legs around Chichi in a bear hug. His mother laughed and Goten let go, dashing out the door to nearly tackle Videl in a similar embrace.

"Woah there!" Videl laughed. "How ya been kid?"

"Awesome!" Goten let go of Videl. "Gohan's gonna be glad to see you!" Videl blushed and was about to say something when Goten interrupted her. "Oh yeah! You gotta see this thing I found!" He raced off to the backyard. He was back not two seconds later, holding a jackalope in his arms. "See? It's fluffy, but it's got these weird horn things and Gohan says he's some kinda bunny but I've never seen one like this before cuz I'm not allowed to go very far from home without Gohan or mom and Gohan gets to go all over the place but that's okay because he's the best guy in the whole world and nothing can beat him even though…"

"Geez! Hold on there a second Goten!" Videl tried to interrupt. "Can we go-"

"… he's a lot smaller than Icarus, but - OH! Have you met Icarus yet? He's reeeeeeal big and has these great big eyes that are like the size of your head and he's best friends with Gohan because he knew him since he was a baby but that's cuz he's real good with animals like daddy was and I hope that someday I'll be able to be as big and strong as he was and…"

"Goten! I really need to find-"

"… you haveta be careful with Icarus because he's got this huuuuuuuuuuuuge tail that sends you flying if you aren't hanging on tight enough and it's happened to me six times already cuz it's really fun if Gohan catches you right before you hit the ground and you GOTTA to meet him and I bet he's with Gohan right now." He paused for the first time in five minutes, looking at a very exasperated Videl. "Didn't you need to find Gohan anyway?"

Videl facepalmed. "Yeah. Yeah I need to find him."

"Okay!" Goten dropped the jackalope and started off in a random direction. "He's this way!"

"Wait a sec!" Videl hurried after the little boy. "How do you know which way to go?"

"We go to the lake all the time." Goten answered happily. "The biggest fish live in the very bottom and Gohan and I have a fight to see who can catch the bigger one and so far I've only caught the medium size ones because I can't find any bigger ones but Gohan says it's cuz they all live under the waterfall and I don't like to go there because this one time one of those crabs got me and almost broke my head off and..."

Goten chattered away excitedly. He'd been pent up inside for what the little saiyan considered to be a long time. The excitement of having a visitor over AND being allowed to go to the lake was almost too much for him to contain. Videl found herself having a tough time keeping up with his words as she tried to match his pace through the forest. How'd this kid get so fast?

It took a good twenty minutes to get to the lake. They stopped for a moment to let Videl catch her breath. She leaned up against a tree and looked out over the water.

It was a pretty good sized lake. The water was a shimmering blue. A modest waterfall poured into one end. A small river flowed out the other. Trees surrounded the lake except for a field on the side opposite Videl. From what she could see, the field was filled with flowers. All this combined with blue skies and fluffy white clouds made for a very peaceful scene.

Videl followed Goten along the edge of the lake towards the field. Birdsong filled the air. The waterfall echoed softly in the distance. As a city girl, Videl never experienced a place so relaxing. If only she could relax. She still had to talk to Gohan! After walking a while, the crime fighter was tugged to a halt.

"Goten? What's the matter?"

"Shhhhh." He put a finger to his lips. "Mom said I'm not allowed to bother Gohan when he's training." He dropped to the ground and motioned her to follow him.

_Training? _Curious, Videl followed the boy through the trees and bushes. Neither of them said a word, which was kind of a surprise. Goten didn't seem to have a stop button on that mouth of his. Well, when he was excited at least. They walked through the forest until they came to the edge of the trees on the side of the field that bordered the lake. Goten crouched down behind some bushes. Videl did the same and together they watched a sight that Videl wasn't prepared for in the slightest.

A very shirtless, sweaty Gohan.

Videl felt her jaw drop. _What._ Gohan was going through a kata she'd never seen before. He threw out rapid fire combos, flipping and dodging, bobbing and weaving smoothly, fighting an invisible adversary. It was almost like watching an old action movie. Each movement was so perfect that it looked almost scripted!

Videl stared openly. Her eyes trailed over his body in chest was perfectly sculpted. You could crack a walnut between his pectorals! Sweet Kami alive his ABS! He had the most chiseled abs that she'd ever seen! That's saying something, considering she's been in her father's dojo with all the muscle heads. Not a single ounce of fat could be seen. His arms were powerful, but not overly bulky. Like they were built for fighting and not muscle mass! His pants were slung low over his narrow hips. And his back! _What sorcery is this!?_ Videl's mind reeled. _When did scrawny little Gohan become such a powerhouse?!_

Gohan was breathing hard enough and sweating enough that, in the hot sunshine, muscles had a light sheen to them. Videl swallowed a mouthful of drool. She knew Saiyaman had a fighter's body, but never before did she connect Saiyaman and Gohan like this! _It makes sense_, some part of her rationalized; _they are the same person after all. But geez! Give a girl a little warning first!_ He was certainly giving the Gold Fighter a run for his money. She felt a hot blush sweep over her cheeks. A voice that sounded very much like Erasa sounded in her head. _He's SUCH a hottie!_ Maybe Gohan really was in the realm of the Gold Fighter after all.

Goten watched Videl carefully. He touched her on the shoulder, causing her to flinch. "Hey, Videl?" He said, voice no louder than a whisper.

Videl gulped, tearing her eyes from the smoking piece of roast beefcake. "Y-yeah?"

"Do you like Gohan?"

She hesitated a moment. "…Maybe." She still had to work out her own feelings, which was much harder to do when staring at the person in question.

Goten grinned. "I knew it!" He whispered happily. "He likes you too I bet!" Videl's already red face turned a deeper shade. Goten looked back at Gohan. "I don't think mom will mind if I bother big brother right now. I think he needs a break! Let's go!"

Videl stared with wide eyes as the little boy grabbed her hand. "No! Wait Goten! Don't-"

Goten hauled her unceremoniously through the bush alongside him. "Gohaaaaaaaaaaan! I brought a frieeeeeeeeeeeeeend!"

Gohan stopped mid punch. He let out a sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Goten, I know you're excited over the jackalope, but I thought you were grounded to the house this week. Does mom know you're…" He trailed off at the sight of his little brother pulling along one very flustered crime fighter.

Gohan's eyes went wide. "Videl?"

* * *

**A/N**: Thaaaar she be lads and lasses! Prepare for more, NEXT TIME on undertheradarballZ.

This is another one of those chapters that I cut down because it was running too long. The other half should be posted soon after this one. Also, who's angry about more Videl denial? *raises hand* I am! I am the author and I still think it's crap!

As always, thanks for Reading and the Reviewing!


	20. Working it Out Harder (part 2)

**DISCLAIMER**: Stop right there! If you think I own DBZ, then prepare to be sorely disappointed!

Ch. 20: Working it Out Harder (part 2)

* * *

Gohan came out to the lake first thing in the morning to train. Chichi had told Goten not to bother him so he could let loose in an effort to find his limit without fighting.

He lifted boulders, raced the wind, and did so many push-ups that he lost count, but nothing seemed to work. Even though he didn't find a limit of strength, this kind of training relaxed him somewhat. It certainly helped him think. He'd been trying to remember what happened yesterday to make him snap. The hours returned slowly until he had a pretty good picture of what had happened.

Videl found him out.

Videl insulted his friends.

Videl mocked his father.

His power spiked uncontrollably at the memory. Against his reason, Gohan went super saiyan and practically obliterated a mountain in frustration. It felt so good to do so, that he didn't bat an eye when his ki rose to a higher level of power.

And then his mentor showed up.

Eventually, with Piccolo helping to calm him, he was able to power down. It took a long time, more time than it should have, and he was still sore about what had happened, but felt better with the release of energy. What was Videl's deal anyway?! What did she want from him?

Gohan banished those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't afford to get angry any more today! Goku was coming back! Just the thought of seeing him again filled Gohan with an intense excitement. It gave him enough adrenaline to move mountains without transforming! Even so, Gohan felt a little apprehension. Yeah, he still felt guilty about it all. After what happened at the cell games, what would he say? How could he possibly face the one who died on his account?

He was so lost in thought that he didn't sense Goten approaching. Gohan wasn't startled at his little brother's voice, but he was a little annoyed. He figured that he'd have to stop everything to take him back home.

But Goten wasn't alone.

Videl, face still burning red, lowered her eyes to the ground. "Ah…. H-hey Gohan."

Gohan stared at her a moment. Memories, angry memories flooded his mind. _Shit._ His ki began to rise. _Shit shit shit!_ Gohan didn't have his watch on. Gohan didn't remember that he could use Instant Transmission now. Gohan only saw his crush. His emotions mixed and he was unprepared to control them.

So the poor saiyan teen dashed to the edge of the lake, took a flying leap, and dove headfirst into the water.

Goten blinked. "What?"

Videl's blush vanished. "Did… did he just run away?!"

"No. Big brother doesn't run away from anything."

"Certainly looked like he was running away." Videl clenched her fists. "But he's not getting away that easy! I flew three hours to apologize to him and I'm NOT leaving without telling him that!" She stormed to the edge of the lake, eyes darting back and forth across the surface. "You hear me Gohan?! I'm not leaving until I talk to you!"

Goten stared after her, wide eyed. "You're… just like mom."

* * *

The dark eyed teen raced through the forest at breakneck speeds. Dodging trees and rocks, it was like he was flying over the ground. Clearing a rather large tree root, he chanced a glance behind him.

There, tearing like mad after him in a jetcopter, was Videl Satan.

Gohan groaned. _I thought I lost her over that last peak!_ He'd given up on not using his powers. She knew who he was. Why hide it anymore? He hadn't lifted into the air yet, thinking that it would be harder to follow him through the woods. Clearly, he was wrong.

Still he zipped through the forest, mind racing. _I've got to lose her close to the lake. That way when she gives up, Goten can take her home. _He pulled a 90 degree turn and shot back towards the water. _Aw, who am I kidding? Videl doesn't give up!_ She'd been chasing him for the past hour, a murderous expression on her face.

Gohan wasn't afraid. He couldn't be afraid of Videl. He still liked her. He was just… super frustrated right now. He didn't want to lose control again so soon after yesterday. A conversation with an angry Videl might trigger him again.

They got close to the lake. He lost her briefly behind a rather large boulder. Moving like chain lightning, Gohan swung up into a tree and hid behind the trunk. He stilled his breathing and crossed his fingers. Hoping that she lost his trail.

Her bright yellow jetcopter roared past him. The noise faded into the distance. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. _Thank Kami._

His relief didn't last long. The jetcopter spun around and headed straight back to the boulder just past where the saiyan was hiding. Gohan watched Videl search the area for him. She let out a frustrated yell and set the jetcopter down uncomfortably close to his hiding spot.

"I know you're out there Son Gohan! Don't think you can hide from me forever!" She jumped down from the pilot's seat. She walked slowly around the area, keen eyes searching the trees.

Gohan groaned softly. _What do you WANT from me Videl?!_ He didn't like being angry with her. It felt gross and turned his stomach. Better if she just gave up and went home. Give him a day or so to find his limit, come to grips with what happened, and move on from there. But that wasn't likely to happen now, was it?

Videl turned about, scanning the trees. Suddenly she shouted. "Gohan, what do you want me to do, huh?!" She plopped down beside her jetcopter. "I just wanted to talk to you! What's wrong about that?!" Tears worked their way down her face. "I wanted to apologize to you, ya big jerk!"

Surprised, Gohan peeked around the tree trunk.

"I'm sorry I called you out in class! I'm sorry I called you a liar and a fraud! I didn't mean any of it! I just meant to talk to you about it, but I was so angry that you kept it from me this whole time that I couldn't stop!" Videl covered her face with her hands. The words didn't stop coming. "I'm sorry I insulted you and your family. I'm sorry I accused Erasa and Sharpner and… I'm sorry I called you names… I'm sorry I called your father names. I'm so sorry Gohan! I lost my temper and I regret it! The look on your face... You were so angry… and I just didn't stop! Then you said your father died saving your life and I… Oh Kami I'm so sorry! I take it all back!"

Her hands dropped from her face. The tears that had built up behind her hands spilled to her cheeks. Her voice was softer now. "I really didn't mean any of it! I was just so mad that I… I couldn't think straight. I jumped to conclusions and… and I was such a jerk and…" She lifted her eyes, staring at the sky. Her heart sank, but she kept speaking. "I'm so sorry Gohan. Even if you don't want to talk to me, I wanted to apologize. I want to tell you that I didn't care that you were Saiyaman! I wasn't going to let the press know! Heck I wasn't gonna tell anybody! I just… I just wanted to know the truth. I was tired of being lied to. Especially by you." She got to her feet and dusted off her shirt, sniffling slightly. "I hope you heard that. You probably don't want have anything to do with me after this, but I needed to get it off my chest before anything else happened."

Gohan was stunned. _She apologized. She really apologized. _A warm feeling spread in his chest. _Aww geez._ His frustrations with her melted away. A lopsided grin crossed his face. He readied himself to come out into the open when he heard her speak again.

"I'll stop chasing you now. I just…" She shook her head sadly. "Goodbye Gohan." She climbed back into her jetcopter.

Gohan's jaw dropped. _She's giving up?!_ His eyes flashed and he stepped out from behind the tree. _Oh no! You do NOT get to leave! Not until I get to talk with you! _ He paused. _Man, I sound like mom._

* * *

She'd done it. Not quite the way she'd planned, but it was all out there. She didn't feel relieved. She didn't even feel satisfied. Videl was just as miserable as she was last night.

_Screw the homework, screw apologizing, screw the whole world! _Videl ranted to herself. _Coming out here was a bad idea. I just knew he'd hate me. I just knew it!_ Running away was all she wanted to do right now. Gohan didn't want to see her. He didn't want to have anything to do with her! She scrubbed away at her eyes and revved the engines.

"Wait! Wait a second Videl!"

Videl glanced over her shoulder. Gohan was running at her, a look of desperation on his face. _Now he shows up!? _She bit her lip and pushed up on the throttle. Leaving was still the best option in her mind. No more heartbreak today. Whatever he had to say couldn't beat back the guilt in her heart.

She shot into the air and away from the lake. Part of Videl rallied against running away, but it was drowned out by the heartbreak from being rejected by the guy she… _maybe_ liked.

Abruptly, Videl felt the jerk of her jetcopter coming to a sudden stop. _The hell!?_ Videl pushed harder on the throttle, but the ship remained immobile, hovering in the air. She let out a grunt of frustration and looked out the window.

Sure enough, there floated Gohan, firmly holding the jetcopter in his hands. Videl's jaw dropped. It was so strange to see Gohan floating at the same level high in the sky, holding her in place with his hands. Much less so obviously ripped. He back at her, dark eyes pleading.

"Please listen to me Videl!" Gohan shouted above the engines. "It's true! I am Saiyaman! You were right! I'm sorry I've been keeping it from you! I really didn't want anyone to know to protect my family!" He frowned. "What happened yesterday happened! I got angry but, we're friends right?! I hoped that…" He shook his head. "Look! You are too important to me! I swear I'll tell you everything! I don't want to lose you!"

Videl felt a flutter in her chest even as she squeezed back more tears. _Stupid, puppy eyed, no good goody-two-shoes, adorkable, well built, superdork of a…_ She turned, flipping off the engine switch. As the engines powered down, Gohan flew them back to the glen where they'd started. He set the copter down gently, walking around to face Videl.

Videl hopped down from the pilot's seat. She averted her eyes. "You… you didn't mean that."

"I did." Gohan spoke firmly. "You are one of my closest friends, even though we've been at each other from day one, but that's mostly because I really was Saiyaman and you were frustrated with me."

She smirked a little. "Damn straight."

Gohan laughed sheepishly. "I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know when." He gave a weak smile. "I said I'd tell you everything because I didn't want to lose you." He leaned in a little closer, eye to eye with Videl. "I still don't."

Videl sucked in a breath. Her heartbeat was suddenly loud in her ears. Lose her? As a friend? As something else? She didn't like him like that, did she?! Maybe she did! AUGH emotions are so confusing!

"You really laid into me yesterday." Gohan shook his head at the memory. "My dad is my hero. The things you said got me so angry that… I just couldn't stay in school. I saw you earlier and I didn't want to get angry at you like that again, so I ran." He sighed. "I know you were upset and I get that. Just don't do it ever again okay?" She nodded and he smiled. "I forgive you Videl."

Relief flooded her body. Videl felt light, like a great weight had lifted off her shoulders and she was able to fly amongst the clouds. The tension left her shoulders and she sighed. That was what she needed.

"Thanks."

Gohan blushed gently. "And uh… will you forgive me from keeping Saiyaman secret from you?"

"You… you big dummy!" Laughter bubbled out of her. She bopped him on the shoulder. "Superheroes don't apologize for keeping their identity a secret!"

"Psh, you say that now!" Gohan scoffed. "What happened to 'I'll find you out Saiyaman! Just you wait!' and 'you're such a jerk just tell me who you are!' all that?"

"Hey! I most certainly did find you out!" Videl stuck her nose in the air. "And I apologized for that just now didn't I?"

"Yeah." Gohan smiled. "We good?"

Videl returned the smile. "Yeah. We're good."

"Awesome!"

"But you have some serious explaining to do."

Gohan winced. _Well, I did promise._ "What do you want to know?"

"Well for starters…"

* * *

"So this ki stuff is what makes you fly? Where'd you get it?"

Gohan sighed. "You don't _get_ it anywhere. Ki is energy. Natural energy! It exists in everything." She'd started with questions about his mother. She moved on to questions about his super suit and how he was able to avoid her for so long. They laughed about the different situations and were having a pretty good time. It was when she asked about his powers did things start getting complicated.

"So… I have this stuff too then?"

"Yeah."

"So why can't I fly?" Her eyes narrowed. "Your logic is screwy."

Gohan facepalmed. "Let me finish." He held up his hands. "Ki is life energy. Everything living has some measure of ki. It's only through training and meditation that you are able to access it."

"I don't get it."

"Just look." He held his hands slightly apart. Slowly, a light began to gleam between his palms. The light grew larger until it was bright sphere. Videl's eyes shimmered in its glow. She brought her face close to it. Gohan moved back slightly and tried not to look down her shirt. The light from the energy lit up her face in such a way that made Gohan's heart pound. The ki ball pulsed with his emotions.

Videl reached out a hand, entranced. "It's… so warm."

"Woah." Gohan pulled away from her. "It'll burn you if you touch it."

"How are you doing that?" Videl asked, withdrawing her hand. She looked up dubiously at Gohan. "That's gotta be some sort of trick!"

Gohan frowned. "This is no trick. It's pure energy. Think of it like… like plasma. Superheated electricity. It could do serious damage if you aren't careful." Unceremoniously, Gohan flung out his hand and shot it at a nearby rock.

The rock exploded into a million tiny fragments.

Videl's eyes almost popped out of her skull. "Huh." She managed. "Not a trick."

"Exactly." Gohan nodded seriously. "It's a technique that only few have been able to master, much less use in combat. It takes a lifetime of training to use the barest fraction of it at all. And then there are some people who had the natural talent of using ki from the get-go."

"Like your dad?"

"Yep. He was a natural."

"Those guys at the cell games… The Gold Fighter..."

"And as for flying," Gohan interrupted, "you just got to put it beneath you."

Videl noticed that he was floating about 3 inches off the ground. "Huh." She repeated. She looked down at her hands, previous thoughts derailed. "… Could… could I do that?"

"Hmmm…" Gohan settled down on the grass. "I don't see why not. You've been training since you were little, so it should be a little easier for you." He was glad that she hadn't brought up the Gold Fighter again. He wasn't quite ready to tackle that conversation.

"Great!" Videl settled herself in a rough approximation of Gohan's lotus pose. "Let's get started!"

"Now?"

"Of course now!"

"But… what about school?"

"Pffffff." Videl scoffed. "Just my dad giving a stupid rally speech that he gives every stinking year. Seriously, you have no idea how lucky you are to be missing it."

Gohan smiled wryly. She really had no idea how true she was. Attending that assembly was like inviting a nuclear bomb to a frat party full of land mines.

"Besiiiiiides, you don't have any problems teaching me, riiiiiight?" Videl smiled very convincingly.

Gohan swallowed dryly. _OOOOOh geez._ His heartbeat beat like a drum in his chest. _Keep calm. Still just friends._ He nodded, speaking softly. "O-okay. But don't be disappointed if you don't get it right away. It takes a long time to learn."

"How long did it take you?"

"Uh…" Gohan remembered Piccolo chucking him at a mountain. "not long. I had some… unorthodox training." He shook his head. "No I'm not going to teach you the same way. Just start by bringing out your energy." He took Videl's hands in his own, willing them not to tremble. Her hands were just as he remembered them. His face flared up in a sudden blush. He tried to ignore it.

Videl looked up at him skeptically. "How exactly am I supposed to do that?" He cheeks were stained slightly pink as well. "And you don't have to hold my hands the whole time."

Gohan pulled his hands away like he'd been burned. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked away. "Ah… well first you have to… you have to pull it up from within your body."

"Don't you talk about _my_ body!"

"Not what I meant!" Gohan blushed harder, waving his hands in a placating gesture. He sighed raggedly. All this tension was bad for his heart. "Just… clear your mind." He stilled his movements and re-assumed the proper lotus position. "Let all thoughts slip away until there is only you."

Videl nodded, still a little skeptical. She closed her eyes and started breathing deeply. Gohan watched her carefully. Little did he know that she was struggling to get the image of one bronzed, very sexy teen out of her mind. Finally, the redness in her cheeks faded and her brows relaxed.

"Okay," he said, voice as soft as his touch had been, "now I want you to search for a pulling sensation. Send your senses into your core." She cracked an eye open to look at him questioningly. He shrugged. "Somewhere around your stomach area. The center of your being."

She nodded again. Breathing deep, she started searching for this pulling sensation. She sat still for a while before finding it. It was faint, more like a tickle or something. Videl spoke softly. "I got it."

"Alright. Now, pull it out."

Videl scrunched up her face. Pull it out? She barely found it for pity's sake! Videl's shoulders tensed and the muscles in her arms quivered with strain.

She heard Gohan speak. "No, no. You have to relax. This isn't something you can do with your muscles."

"How _else_ am I supposed to pull it out, cheese brain!?" Videl hissed through gritted teeth.

"Ah geez." Gohan scratched the back of his head. "It's hard to explain. Just relax first alright?" He took her hands in his again. "Relax. Relax." He said soothingly. "Relax."

And surprisingly, she did. She didn't even complain about holding hands again. His callused hands felt oddly comforting. So large… so warm…

_NO! I do not like him like that!_ Videl tensed briefly. _I just… he's just a really…_ Her thoughts fizzled out as she forced herself to relax again.

"Now, find that pull again."

She nodded, finding it faster this time.

"Good." Videl heard the smile in his soft voice. "Okay, now picture that it's flowing through you. Like the river flowing from the lake."

Videl concentrated on the tickling sensation deep inside her. It was in one spot really. She tried to picture it moving throughout her body, but found that it wouldn't budge. She grunted aloud with the strain of trying to get it to move. Gohan didn't say anything, but he squeezed her hands reassuringly.

Videl blushed at the touch. She let go of the feel of the pull and tried not to think about how Gohan was holding her hands. She could feel the pressure of his fingers and how soft his grip was. His thumb was tracing little patterns on the back of her hand. The poor girl's mind spun. _No! Stupid… stupid sexy Gohan distracting me from…_ Videl noticed how her hand he was rubbing was tingling. That it didn't feel dissimilar to what the feeling was like inside her.

The crime fighter searched again for the pull, finding it almost instantly. She focused solely on it, trying to memorize what it felt like. She began breathing slowly and deeply. It was strange, but the more she relaxed, the more she noticed how big the pull actually was. It extended through her body, almost flowing like a river to each part of her.

She smiled slightly. "I got it."

"Awesome!" Gohan released her hands. "Now I want you to bring it out into the space between your hands. Focus the stream to your palms and out from there."

Videl grunted. "Easy peasy."

**40 Minutes later**

"Ah… Videl? How's it going?"

"Shut UP Gohan!"

"Maybe you should take a break."

"I'll break your face in a minute!

"I told you it wasn't easy."

"Your GRANDMA wasn't easy!"

Videl sat in the same place they'd started, drenched in sweat. Gohan stood off to one side, arms crossed. Goten had grown bored of catching grasshoppers and was now lying on his belly, staring at Videl.

"Videl," Goten said, "sometimes it helps if you yell."

Videl shot him a look. "What?!"

"The yelling itself doesn't really help Goten." Gohan corrected. "It's harnessing your emotions to fuel your ki."

"So getting really mad?"

"Yeah. Something like that. Though any emotion will work."

"What about sneezing? Does sneezing work?"

"Sneezing isn't an emotion Goten."

"Oh. So you mean if I get really happy or something?"

"Sure. It's a way to amplify ki other than training."

"Ooooh. Is it kinda like that meditation thing that Mr. Piccolo does all the time?"

"Something like that. Because we are able to use ki, we have to learn to control it."

"But what would happen if you sneezed while you were powering up? Would all your power fly out your nose?"

"I don't think so… though no one's ever tried it before…"

"AUGH!" Videl burst out, interrupting the brothers. She'd had enough of their blathering. "Would you two just SHUT UP?! I've been trying to do this STUPID THING for at least an hour now! I'm getting NOWHERE! YOU, Gohan, don't seem to care the least bit how HARD this is because you're some sort of prodigy or some kind of crap like that!" She paused to catch her breath.

"Ah, Videl?"

"WHAT?!"

Gohan pointed down at her hands, a smile on his handsome face. "You did it."

Videl looked down. There between her hands was a small ball of energy. It gave off a bright and clean light. Her eyes grew wide and the ball seemed to pulse with her amazement. She held it to her face and looked at it intensely.

She… she did it!

Through the glow that the ki gave off, Videl could see Gohan beaming at her. He looked more than just proud or happy with her. It was his eyes. They caught her breathless on more than one occasion, but she could never figure out why. That emotion that she saw there, the one she was too afraid to name. Videl narrowed her eyes, looking at him. Actually, through the glow of her energy, he looked almost like…

Suddenly, Videl was hit with a wave a fatigue. The energy ball dissipated and she fell forward to rest on her hands. "I did it Gohan! I really did it!" She said triumphantly.

"I knew you could." Gohan grinned.

"Heh." Videl tried to stand, full of herself. She got to her feet easily enough, but wobbled and fell almost immediately.

Gohan caught her from hitting the ground. "Woah there. Take it easy. Ki is raw energy, and bringing it up takes a lot out of you." She looked up from leaning against him for support. "Why do you think I've got a huge appetite? I've got to replenish my energy somehow!"

She chuckled. "That makes sense." For a long moment neither teen moved. Caught by the eyes of the other. Pressed against the other, their heartbeats suddenly synchronized. Gohan and Videl were immediately away of how the other felt. Solid muscle and hard lines against softness and curves.

Gohan was the first to break the silence. His blush stealing up the back of his neck, showing up on his cheekbones. "I… Uh… I mean it'll take more practice before you can actually fly. You have to be... ah… comfortable with bringing it out on your own. Making it like second nature. A-and you have to pace yourself or you'll use up all your energy and won't be able to move."

A blush, equally sneaky, stole up Videl's face as well. She smiled. "Yeah, that would suck. How long, do you think, it would take to learn to fly?"

"Ah… maybe a few more lessons?"

"Right." Videl smiled larger. "Same time tomorrow?"

Gohan's heart leapt. _Yesssssssssssssss!_ And then his good sense kicked in. "I'll… I'll have to talk to mom about that." He glanced at the sun. "It's nearly noon. How about we head back and replenish our energy?"

Goten perked up. "It's lunchtime?!"

Videl laughed and moved away from Gohan slowly. She walked over to her jetcopter and climbed in. "C'mon, I'll give you a lift." She hit the starter button. Nothing happened. She checked her dials and cursed softly. "Or not. The trip out here and that little flight I had earlier sapped my fuel tanks."

"We can just fly home." Goten piped up.

"Oh." Videl got down from her jetcopter awkwardly, her face burning. How could she have forgotten that Gohan could fly?

Gohan swallowed nervously. Videl turned and encapsulated her copter, hiding her blush. They both knew what was gonna happen next. He walked up to her and gently picked her up bridal style.

He smiled. "Hold tight." And lifted slowly into the air.

"D-don't worry about me." Videl stuttered slightly, arms around his neck. Luckily he'd put his gi top back on. "I've flown before."

Gohan's eyes glinted. "But not with me."

"What's that supposed to meaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Gohan grinned madly. Videl clung to him for dear life as he shot up into the air like a rocket. He spun ever higher. Flipping and swooping through the air. Diving down to skim the surface of the lake. Rising to skim the treetops. Soaring up until they were flying above the clouds. Far above the earth, the saiyan teen hesitated. He wondered if his hormones were catching up to him. Since when was he such a showoff? What was he trying to prove? That he was the best at flying? To whom? The terrified girl in his arms?

Speaking of which.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahaha!"

Videl's laughter caught him a little off guard. With her raven hair streaming out behind her, Videl was grinning for all she was worth. Gohan was caught up in how beautiful she looked, laughing carefree like she was.

"WAIT!"

Gohan screeched to a halt. "What?! What is it?" His mind went immediately to anything he could've done wrong.

"We forgot your brother!"

"What?"

"Goten!" Videl squirmed in his arms. "We have to go back for Goten!"

"No we don't."

"What?!"

"He's right there." Gohan motioned with his head. Sure enough, there, floating alongside them casually, was the little spiky headed Goten.

Videl's jaw dropped for the third time that day. "What."

Goten giggled. "You're funny Videl." He soared off ahead of them, presumably to make it to lunch first.

Videl was silent for a moment. Then she turned to Gohan in an outrage. "You taught your brother to fly!?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to 'oh, you have to train for a long time before you're able to harness the blahblahblah'?!"

"Hey! I didn't lie! Goten just has a natural talent for it!"

"A likely excuse! I bet you just say that becauuuuaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Gohan interrupted Videl's rant by shooting down through the trees at breakneck speed. Goten was already at the house. If they waited any longer, they wouldn't get any lunch!

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry to all those who were so very ready to watch Videl's arms get ripped off. He's much too much of a goody-goody to do something like that. BUT I had to have SOMETHING. A little anticlimactic moment. SO CHASE SCENE! It's a little lackluster, but it's better than what I had originally.

AHAHAHAHAHAH pbbbththth

Again! Thanks for the Readings &amp; Reviewings!


	21. Heart to Heart

**DISCLAIMER**: The following is a work of fiction. Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and the third iterations that we do not speak of are all owned by funimation, toei animation, fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama. Please support the official release. Disclaimer pawned off of teamfourstar, because they make all the funnies.

Ch. 21: Heart to Heart

* * *

"Chichi, ma'am, this is delicious!"

"Oh, thank you dear. Have some more."

"Thanks, but I'm stuffed. You gotta give me the recipe sometime! Our chef would love to learn this one."

"Your chef? You must be rich! How many rooms do you have in your house?"

"Oh… I'd say between 40 to 50."

"Fifty?! I didn't know you were that loaded!"

"Well, when your dad is a media hound…"

"Wow!" Chichi looked at Gohan. "And this is the girl you want to marry?"

If you've seen this scene, you must know that the spit-take is indeed GLORIOUS.

Goten smiled happily. "Does that mean you're gonna be my sister Videl?" Gohan had been eating rice at the time. It sprayed all over Goten's face.

"I have _no_ idea what you're talking about!" Gohan flailed about, eyes wide, cheeks redder than a fire truck. "We aren't even dating! We're just friends!"

Videl raised an eyebrow at Gohan. "Are you saying you're too good for me or something?"

"What?! No I'm not saying that! I just… what I mean is…" Panicked, Gohan looked aghast from his mom to his crush. Both had an amused grin on their face. He caught on to their ploy and pouted. "Thanks a lot."

Chichi and Videl broke into giggles. "You're just too fun to tease." Videl elbowed him. "Plus your mom is the coolest ever!"

Chichi blushed modestly. "Oh! You're too kind!" They'd been getting along like peaches and cream, after an initial spat. Seeing as Gohan was carrying Videl bridal style, Chichi jumped quickly to conclusions. It was a quick misunderstanding filled with angry faces, objections, and raspberries (not the fruit).

Videl grinned. "It's true ma'am. I think my mom would've liked you too."

"Oh! Well, I'll have to stop by some time and let her know what a nice young lady you are."

Videl looked down, uncomfortably. Gohan cleared his throat. "Uh, Mom? Her mother died right before the cell games."

Chichi looked mortified. "Oh! Oh dear, I'm so sorry."

"No, no it's okay." Videl took a deep breath, smiling at the older lady. "She's in a better place, anyway." She looked over at Gohan skeptically. "But how did you know that Gohan? I don't think I ever told you about mom."

Gohan stared blankly at her for a second. _Ah crap. I'm not supposed to know that. _He scratched the back of his head nervously. "You didn't? I could've sworn you did." He shrugged. "Maybe I read it somewhere." _Buy it, please buy it Videl! I'm not ready for you to find out!_

Vidle studied him for a moment. Then she shrugged. "Makes sense." She turned back to Chichi and Gohan let out a sigh of relief. Crisis temporarily averted.

"So how do you guys know the Gold Fighter?"

Or not.

"Gold Fighter?" Chichi frowned at Gohan. "You haven't told her yet?"

The saiyan teen winced. Videl pinned him with a glare. "Told me _what_ Gohan?"

_Shiiiiii-_ "She already found out that I'm Saiyaman. She must've figured out that I know him."

"Oh." Chichi cocked an eyebrow at her son. Her look practically said 'Really? You're really not going to tell her?' but she didn't protest. If Gohan was digging himself into a hole, he was going to have to get himself out.

"Yeah, I figured." Videl smirked. "How long have you known each other anyways?"

"He's an old family friend." Chichi interrupted, not looking up from her plate. "I knew his father quite well. He's a nice young man." She took another bite and swallowed before continuing. "Frankly I think he takes too many risks. Showing himself in public, doing dangerous stunts and all that nonsense."

Gohan bristled, a little angry that she'd call it nonsense, though he was grateful that she covered for him. "It's not nonsense! He's legitimately helping people!"

"Putting himself in danger you mean."

"Well it's the only way he can protect people!"

"That's a job for the police."

"Sometimes the police need help!"

"Well, he should keep his nose out of their business. Focus on his studies, just like you ought to."

"I thought I told you that I won't give up protecting people!"

"And I told you that if you get hurt, or your grades drop, you would stop."

"Neither of those things has happened!"

Videl watched the volley of words fly between the mother and son. She was pretty sure that this wasn't really about the Gold Fighter. It seemed like this was something they had argued about before. Chichi only wanted what was best for her son. Gohan wanted to do his best for the people around him. Abruptly, Videl understood what might've happened a few days back. When Gohan didn't want to go home. Something similar to this conversation.

Chichi looked up at her son for the first time since their argument began. "We've discussed this before. You are not to do anything dangerous. You are to focus on your studies and graduate with honors. Period."

Gohan scowled at his plate. His shoulders tensed and his eyes darkened. He stood suddenly from his place at the table. "Excuse me." He muttered before storming off into the woods.

Videl looked from the retreating back of Gohan to his mother and back. "Uuuh…"

Chichi fussed with her plate. After a moment, she sighed heavily. "Sorry you had to see that Videl. It's just with Goku gone… I worry you know?" She rubbed her eyes, giving Videl a weak smile. "I'd rather him be in school all day, where he's safe than do the things he does. I know he saves people, but it's a mother's job to worry about her kids."

"My dad is the same way." Chichi stared at her, but she just shrugged. "I'm his only daughter, fighting crime alongside the police. How could he not be worried?" She looked down at her plate, suddenly embarrassed by the admission. "I don't have the same kind of powers Gohan does, but I still do my best to protect people. Gohan, you know… he does a good job." Videl said tentatively. "He's saved my life a ton of times, saved many police officers, and countless others. He's got the power to protect. Can you really blame him for trying?"

"You sound just like my husband." Chichi smiled ruefully. "I can't help but be proud of him for that, but I still would rather have him be a successful doctor!"

"He'll be a great… something." She didn't even know what he wanted to shoot for after high school. "But he's right, we do need him in the city."

"Oh? You need a caped, helmeted, crime fighting vigilante?"

Videl giggled, remembering that ridiculous costume. "He doesn't wear that silly cape anymore."

"Hey!" Goten piped up indignantly. "I _liked _his cape!"

* * *

Gohan stormed through the forest surrounding his home. It wasn't like him to get so angry over a conversation like that. And in front of Videl no less! He just… he couldn't help it! Was it hormones? Was it just everything coming to a head?

The saiyan teen stood, surrounded by forest, wrestling with his conscience. He understood where his mom was coming from, but just the way she said it rubbed him the wrong way. Did she think he was incapable of protecting himself? Did she think that he wasn't good enough, wasn't _strong_ enough to protect the people close to him? That thought alone grated on his mind, taunting him. How strong was he really? If he was strong, what could he do with the strength? Was he worth anything?

And this whole mess with the Gold Fighter! How in the world was he going to break it to the girl he liked!?

Gohan tightened his fists. This line of thinking was going to get him in trouble. He took a few deep breaths and lifted up into a lotus position. His ki bubbled menacingly under his skin, putting him even more on edge. Hovering a fair distance above the earth, he meditated silently. Using enough power to keep his energy at bay, bringing his emotions under control. Pulling his energy back in, just like how Piccolo taught him.

And it was working, until someone poked him in the butt.

"Yow!" Gohan leapt another foot in the air. Beneath him, Videl grinned, holding a rather long stick.

Gohan rubbed his fanny. "What was that for?!"

"I tried calling your name, but you were so zoned out that you didn't hear me." Videl explained. "I didn't want to throw a rock at you, so I found a stick."

"Did you have to use the sharpest stick you could find?!"

"Of course." She tossed the stick over her shoulder. "Are you done being a sore head?"

Gohan sighed, shaking his head at the girl below him. "I guess I am now."

"I take it this has happened before?"

Gohan stretched midair. "You aren't wrong… I just hate it when she does that."

"Worry about you?"

"Yes… no! Augh…. It's just… It's when she assumes that I can't handle myself. That I'm not strong enough to take on the world."

"You know she doesn't really-"

"I know where she's coming from! I know how she feels about this, but what do you want me to do?!" Gohan gestured angrily with his hands. "Not save people within my reach!? NOT try to make the world better with my own hands?! NOT find out WHY I was given this power!?" A white aura formed around him. He didn't seem to notice. "Am I not strong enough!? Am I not capable on my own!?"

Videl took a few steps back, the wind whipping her pigtails into knots. He never acted this way in class! Heck the angriest she'd ever seen him was when he challenged her to a fight! What happened to the mild mannered Gohan?

She took in this frustrated boy, muscles tight, eyes flashing with a strange light. The raven haired girl felt an immense, unusual understanding well up in her chest. This powerful, compassionate guy tried so hard to fit in, all the while dealing with this power that he tried to use for good. Her heart beat a little harder. If this was just a taste of his struggles…

"Gohan!" She called above the wind. It seemed to increase in intensity, but she did her best to ignore it. "How do you think I feel!? You're a superhero! You have powers that nobody else has! I'm not like you, but I still try my best to protect my city! Then you show up and I end up feeling like a has-been!"

Gohan looked down at her, surprised. The white aura around him faded. "What do you mean? You're the idol of Satan city."

"I used to be!" Videl rubbed her arms, regretting she said anything at all. "I never really wanted to be either! It's just, you appeared and I… it just looked like people didn't really need me anymore. Like I wasn't strong enough anymore. I kept fighting, kept trying to help, but it was hard to keep my cool whenever you showed up."

Gohan hadn't really realized this. Now that Videl was staring at the ground, admitting that she had insecurities, it hit him that he hadn't really thought about why she was tough on Saiyaman all that time. It wasn't so much that she wanted to know who he was. Well, she DID want to know, it was a big part of why she chased him, but she was also trying to hang on to a part of who she was. A part of her identity.

"Wait a second…" Gohan said, descending to the forest floor. "You're telling me that you felt like he… like I was taking your place?"

Videl winced. "Kinda."

Gohan's face cracked a lopsided grin. "Well, geez Videl! You should have told me!" Videl stared at him. "Well, you should have told Saiyaman. Me. Whatever. I wasn't trying to take your place, I was trying to help you! Two are better than one so I figured I could... I didn't know I was being… I would've … I mean I want to…" Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Videl raised her eyebrows. "Want to what?"

"I… I want to apologize." Gohan looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry I made you feel unnecessary. You are one of the most necessary people I know."

Videl scoffed, blushing slightly. "Don't apologize. I figured you weren't in it for the glory anyways."

"No. I… I don't want you to ever feel like you aren't important."

The raven haired crime fighter blushed a little harder. "Gohan…"

"You are super important and… and I know that if anything happened to you, I'd-"

Gohan stopped short. Videl was staring at him strangely. On her face a mixture of hope and apprehension. He coughed awkwardly. "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

Inwardly, Videl cursed. Why was she so eager to hear what he might've said next? She cleared her throat and said, "I have a few more questions for ya."

The dark eyed boy nodded, slightly relieved. "Fire away."

Together they walked back through the woods, chatting amicably. It was a bit of a relief. Both teens were trying to ignore the tension that they thought they were imagining. _She doesn't like me like that._ Gohan told himself every time she smiled. His heart thumped hard in his chest when she moved closer, and ached when she drifted away. As if the proximity of this girl controlled the beating of his heart.

It was driving him insane.

_You know he likes you, why can't you just accept that and move on?_ Videl struggled with her thoughts. She couldn't just move on, something held her captive. Was it the way he looked at her? How his dark eyes captured hers so easily? Was it the fact that she felt irrationally happy every time he would smile? Or that being around him made things seem that much brighter? This wasn't the first time this had happened!

She felt like ripping her hair out.

They walked in silence for a bit. It was the love/hate relationship they had with the tension that kept them quiet. After a while it felt a little too awkward, so Gohan broke the silence with a question. "So, uh… aren't you going to miss that tournament at school?"

"Oh that." Videl shrugged. "No big deal. I didn't plan on entering this year anyway. I end up winning too often. Give the other guys a chance this time around."

Gohan nodded. "Sensible."

Another awkward silence.

"Are you going to the carnival tomorrow?"

Gohan quirked an eyebrow at Videl. "There's a carnival tomorrow?"

"Yep." She smiled. "They have one every year. It's way better than the tournament." She elbowed Gohan good naturedly. "You should go."

Gohan smiled in kind. "Yeah. That sounds cool." His smile faltered a little. "Are… are you going to be there?"

Videl's eyebrows lifted slightly and she turned her eyes to the treetops above. "I go every year."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Do… uh…" Gohan fidgeted slightly. "Do you want to meet up tomorrow?"

Videl held back a smile. "Well, I had planned on being a third wheel to Sharpner's and Erasa's date, but I suppose you could tear me away for a while."

Gohan smiled broadly. "Cool! Where do you want to…" He paused. "Sharpner and Erasa are together?"

"Yep."

"Huh." Gohan grinned. "I didn't see that one coming."

"Me neither." Videl shrugged. "But as long as he keeps his mitts to himself, I'm okay with it."

"You threatened him already?"

"Yep."

Gohan laughed. Once again the world was bathed in the golden sound. "That's so like you." He chuckled.

Videl smirked. "I have a reputation to uphold."

* * *

"Videl, don't you have to be getting home?"

The crime fighter looked up from her homework. After playing with Goten, she and Gohan had decided to work on homework to validate why she'd come over in the first place. That, and Chichi kept shooting them skeptical 'mom looks'. The ones that make you squirm until you do what she wants.

"It is getting late." She looked at the clock. It was nearing dinnertime. She'd really been enjoying herself. In all honesty, Videl really didn't want to leave. The Son family was so different. It was warm and inviting. Not so self absorbed like her household. "I guess I'd better be getting home."

Goten, who had just come into the kitchen for a drink of water, frowned. "Do you really have to go Videl? Mom, can't she stay a little longer?" Goten shot her a healthy dose of puppy eyes. "Please mom? Pleeeeeeeeeeease?

Chichi shook her head, impervious to the puppy eyes. "Goten, her father must be getting worried. She has her own home to go to."

"She's right." Videl said sheepishly. "Dad must be throwing a fit by now."

"Awwww!" Goten tugged on Gohan's arm. "Gohan! Make her stay a little longer!"

Gohan blushed. _Make_ her stay? "Ah, sorry squirt. What mom says goes." He wanted Videl to stay longer as much as Goten did, maybe more, but there was no arguing with Chichi.

"Nooooooooooooo!" Goten refocused his attempts on Videl. "Please don't go Videl! You can stay the night! You can share my room! I'll even let you share Mr. Cuddlesworth!"

Videl smiled at the little boy. "Sorry kiddo. I'll see you some other time, okay?"

"You gotta promise."

She nodded seriously. "I promise."

"Awesome!" Goten grinned, completely okay with the situation now. "I'll see you later Videl!" He said before rushing back into the other room to watch cartoons.

Chichi shook her head. "That boy… So like his father." She smiled at Videl. "Thank you for visiting. You're such a polite guest. Stop by again some time."

Videl nodded, standing from her place at the table. "Thank you ma'am. I'll be sure to come by again." She piled her things together and capsulated them.

Gohan rose also. "I'll fly you home." Chichi nodded at him in assent and watched the pair leave the little house.

As soon as the door closed, hearts popped into her eyes. She sighed softly. "Oh Gohan's got it bad!" She didn't have knotholes for eyes. He could barely keep from staring at Videl. Watching her when she wasn't looking. Looking away and blushing when she was. He was all smiles and chuckles. It was such a difference from how he'd been all that past week. "And Videl is such a nice girl. I can't even be upset with that! Oh I can hear the wedding bells already." Another thought made her shriek with delight.

GRANDBABIES!

* * *

Gohan flinched violently. He looked back at his house with a sudden sense of dread.

Videl glanced up at him. "What's the matter?"

_I thought I just heard… _He swallowed. "Nothing."

Videl shrugged. "Whatever. Let's get this show on the road." She flipped her pigtails over her shoulder nonchalantly.

The saiyan teen nodded, tenderly lifting Videl in his arms and rising into the air. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. Blood rushed to his face as he felt certain parts of her press against his chest. _Concentrate on flying. Just got to concentrate on…_ He glanced down at Videl and found he really couldn't concentrate on anything at all.

Videl was blushing herself. She was very aware of his arms cradling her to his chest. She felt his heart beat slightly faster. The wind rushed around them, but she didn't pay it any mind. All she really could do was try not to notice that he was looking at her. That he was holding her so gently, yet so firmly. Yep… not notice him at all.

Kami, how could she _not_ notice him? Notice ALL of him?! She was in his arms for pity sake! His firm muscles, his gentle touch, his gaze… She glanced up and saw him look away. An adorably flustered expression on his features. Her heartbeat sped up at the redness on his face. _I can't look at him._ She concluded. _It'll drive me mad otherwise._ She buried her face into his shoulder, ignoring the slight tightening of those strong arms. She closed her eyes and breathed deep.

And cursed her choice. He smelled very good. She took another deep breath before pulling her nose away from his skin. He smelled very much like a man. Not the gross sweaty kind of man. The kind of man that women write sizzling fantasies about. Later, when her mind wasn't spinning in a mushy mess, she reckoned that it should be illegal for sexy, muscular, flying guys that you may or may not like to smell that good.

She considered Gohan for a moment. He was kind, funny, brave, intelligent, caring and incredibly good looking. He made her feel so carefree. So safe even high above the world. Why was it so hard to just admit that there could be more than friendship between them? That she might want more than friendship?

Meanwhile, Gohan couldn't get enough of Videl. The faint smell of flowers from whatever soap she happened to use had wafted up to his sensitive nose. That, mixed with the sheer scent of Videl, was driving him crazy. Different people smell differently. Videl smelled better than all of them. All he wanted to do was bundle her up in his arms and never let go. To breathe in that scent as long as he lived.

Startled, he yanked his head back. In his reveling, he'd let his chin rest on the top of her head. He was sure that he did the ultimate creeper thing in smelling her hair. Gohan cringed at what she'd say when they landed. His heart sank a little at having to let go soon.

_Wait,_ Gohan glanced down at the ground and felt a small measure of panic; _I don't know where she lives!_ He looked to Videl with the question still on his lips. She had her eyes closed. She wasn't asleep, he could tell that much, but she looked so peaceful that he was loath to disturb her.

"Uh… Videl?"

Videl didn't open her eyes. "Mmmm?"

Gohan gulped. "I uh… I don't exactly know where we're going." He said softly.

"Oh." Videl opened her baby blues, catching Gohan slightly breathless. "The house on the southern side of the city. It's huge, so you can't miss it." She closed her eyes again. "It's got statues of Dad all over the place."

"Oh. Okay." Gohan murmured. They drifted at a slower pace around the city. Gohan didn't want to be seen flying around without his Saiyaman getup. And honestly didn't want the flight to end.

_Does it really have to?_ Gohan was struck with the sudden thought. _I'm the Gold Fighter! I know Videl has feelings for him! Can't I just come out and admit it? After all, she DID apologize to me for the whole Saiyaman thing. She handled that well enough!_ He looked back down to the girl in his arms. _She deserves to know the truth. The whole truth._

_But what if she rejects me? What if she calls me a liar? I don't want to go crazy again!_ His heart sank. _Do I want to risk that? To risk potentially hurting her?_

Neither teen spoke. Wrapped up in their own personal drama. When the Satan mansion came into view, Gohan didn't bother letting Videl know. He slowed his flight and descended silently onto a balcony.

They landed and Videl opened her eyes. "I guess we're here."

"Yeah."

Gohan held her for a moment, watching her. Then he let her down slowly. She didn't move her gaze from his face. And they stood there. Her hands pressed up against his chest. His arms loosely around her waist. The tension as they stood there could have been cut with a knife.

_But we're just friends, right?_ The question roared through Videl's mind, cutting above the beating of her heart. _Are you sure you're okay only seeing him as a friend?_ Her internal dilemma must've shown on her face, because Gohan moved his hands away from her waist.

_Do I tell her the truth? _Gohan's eyes darkened, his face falling just a little. _Is she worth the risk?_

"Ah!" Videl was first to break the silence, jerking her hands from his chest. "Uh… So, I'll see you at the carnival tomorrow?"

His face brightened briefly. "Yeah. I'll probably bring Goten with me."

"Cool." She rubbed her arms, missing the warmth of being wrapped in Gohan's embrace. "I guess I'll see you then."

"Yeah."

Awkward silence.

"I, uh… wanted to thank you again, for bringing my homework and apologizing and all that. It was good to see you again."

"Hey, no problem. I'll… I'll drop by again sometime. We have to keep up with my flying lessons."

"Oh… uh yeah." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Videl."

Videl nodded. ""Yep, see you then."

Gohan hesitated. He took one last long look at Videl before lifting off into the air. Videl herself felt a kind of regret, watching him float away. Something felt undone to both of them. She was about to turn and go inside when Gohan spun back around and hovered just on the other side of the balcony railing.

"Wait Videl!" He said earnestly. "I have to talk to you about something." He shook his head. "No, I have to _tell_ you something."

"Yes?" Videl strode back over to him, eyes bright.

"It's something that I've been meaning to tell you for a while…" He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I just had to come to grips with the fact that you have to know."

"Yeah?" She urged him on.

"It's… it's about the Gold Fighter."

Videl felt her breath catch. There it was.

Gohan kept talking. "Listen, I know you think I know him. I do, but it's not what you think it is. I am… I mean, he's not…"

"It's okay Gohan." Videl interrupted smoothly, walking forward to place her hands on Gohan's shoulders. "I know."

Gohan was struck speechless. _She does?! _"You… do?"

"Erasa told me."

_No… Not Erasa. _If it were possible to slump whilst floating, Gohan would have done it. "She did? She… she promised she wouldn't tell anyone."

"I'm her best friend. Of course she told me." Videl leaned against the railing causally.

"I… Why you didn't tell me you knew?" Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. _She's taking this extremely well._ "I thought you'd be freaking out a bit more. It's kind of an important topic."

"You dummy, I'm not that kind of girl." Videl blushed. "It's just not something I thought about that much."

_Wait…_ Gohan's face went blank. "What?"

"Well, I _did_ think about it some." Videl put her hands behind her back and started pacing. "And I'm not really into boys or any of that drama that other girls are, so when she told me you liked me, I just wasn't sure how to react." Videl rambled on, oblivious to Gohan's shocked look. "And I know she's told everyone about how I kinda sorta had a crush on the Gold Fighter. While I am neither confirming nor denying the presence of a crush upon him, I do know that I wasn't sure what kind of answer to give you." She turned to look at Gohan. "I… Well I know that if I _were _to like you, Gohan, I'd have to know just what kind of relationship you're…"

Videl trailed off. Gohan had moved to sit on the railing and was now holding his head in his hands.

"Gohan?"

His voice was shaky. "She told you… that I liked you?"

Videl was instantly suspicious. "Uh… Yeah. She did."

_Sweet Kami alive! This girl is bad for my heart. _Gohan sighed in partial relief. "That's… that's fine." _So she still doesn't know. What now? _He looked up at her, dark eyes sparkling with sudden mirth. "But that's not was I was going to tell you."

"Wait… What do you mean that's not what you were going to tell me?!" Videl demanded. Her face turned red. He'd interrupted her I-kinda-like-you-but-I-don't-want-to-admit-it speech to tell her that she'd jumped the gun!?

"That's not what I was going to tell you." He leaned forward, nose mere inches from hers. "I was talking about something else entirely. But, just out of curiosity, what were you saying?"

Videl turned redder. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Oh really?"

"Don't change the subject!" Videl hollered. She had thought she'd made up her mind, but then again…

Gohan frowned. "But I want to know."

"No! I want to know what you were going to tell me!"

Gohan folded his impressive arms over his impressive chest. "You answer my question and I'll answer yours."

Videl gaped at him. He was acting like he did when they argued in the classroom. It was rather attractive. Videl's face got even redder as she said, "That's not fair!"

Gohan grinned. "It's completely fair. Just an exchange of information."

Videl grit her teeth. "Fine." She stared at him challengingly. "What was your question again?"

Gohan's pulse spiked. _Easy Gohan. _He dug his nails into his palms as he clenched his fists. _Calm down… she's asking me to repeat the question. Not beat her in a fight._ He took a deep breath. He knew what he wanted to ask. And for once, he was glad of the hormones and the adrenaline rush. It bolstered his confidence.

"You know I like you. My question is, do you like me?"

The question, four words, carried something far more serious than a usual 'do you like me? yes or no' note you'd get in school. Gohan's voice deepened slightly causing the words to have a strange heft to them. Did Videl like him? Did she like him as much as he liked her? Was there more at stake here than just their friendship?

Videl was taken aback. The weight of the question gave her pause. _Do I like him?_ Her thoughts spun. _Do I like him?_ She opened her mouth.

"I…"

As she watched, Gohan's face lit up with hope.

"I don't…"

And fell with despair.

"…know how to answer that."

And lifted with rekindled hope. Videl fought the urge to giggle. He was so easy to read. She sobered and shook her head. This was too tense of a moment for laughter. "I just… are you sure you like me?"

"Sure I'm sure." The dark eyed teen sighed. "I don't know how else to explain it. I'm happier when you're around. When you leave it's like someone turned the lights out. You make me feel like I'm flying when I am firmly on the ground. You're eyes catch me when I least expect it and it moves me! I am frustrated by you, intrigued by you, and in awe of you. You're strong, courageous, smart, kind, brave, insightful, stubborn, and brutally honest." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm irrational when it comes to you, to the point where I don't want anything to jeopardize our friendship. Especially when we only recently decided that we are friends! That's why I'm so reluctant to have you find out that I…"

He shook his head, looking at her earnestly. "Please tell me Videl. If there's any hope that we could be more. If not, then I just want to be friends. I care about you too much to lose you over something like this."

Videl stared down at her shoes. "You… must say that to all the girls."

Gohan looked away. "You're one of the only girls I know, much less talk to."

She knew that. He was too shy of a guy to talk to any other girls besides herself and Erasa. She didn't know Gohan thought so highly of her. Or that he could talk so sweetly. No one, not even her father, ever spoke that way to her and meant it. If he really felt that way about her, why hadn't he come to her sooner? Then again, she might've turned him away if he had. She'd never really took the time to know him. And now that she knew him, things changed. He was much more than she ever could've hoped for and yet she hesitated. Did she like him?

Videl bit her lip. She couldn't deny it. Yes. She liked him. She liked him a lot. But…

What about Goldilocks?

So Videl stood there, staring at Gohan, at a loss for words. He looked back at her, face unsure, eyes full of emotion. She couldn't deny that she liked him anymore, but what about the Gold Fighter? Sure they'd only met once, but she felt a connection to the guy. Then again, yeah she was attracted to tall dark and golden, but she knew Gohan so much better. How could she choose? What's worse, they were friends! Suddenly, an image of the Gold Fighter popped into her mind. She tilted her head, looking at Gohan. Why in the world would Gohan remind her of the Gold Fighter? Besides the fact that she had feelings for them both.

She sighed heavily. "I don't know, Gohan. I want to tell you that I like you, but I'm… still sorting things out." She turned away from Gohan's crestfallen face. "I… I like the Gold Fighter too. I want to know more about him. I don't want to… I don't want anything to change between us yet." She looked back at the boy. "And please don't tell him that I denied his best friend. That's kind of a jerk move."

_It's even worse! You just shot me down for the other me!_ Yet Gohan found himself nodding, not trusting himself to speak. Her confession simultaneously brought his hopes up and tore his heart apart._ This is the worst. Why did I ever think this was a good idea?_

Videl straightened, her mouth set in a determined line. "Alright, that's said and done." She wasn't happy about her choice, but it seemed like the best option! Could she have phrased it better? Kami, she still didn't want to choose. At least now she could hear what he was going to tell her! "Now, what were you going to tell me?"

Gohan immediately felt tired. Why was it such a difficult thing to say? "I wanted to tell you something about the Gold Fighter."

"And?"

"Well," Gohan fumbled for words, "he's… not who you think he is."

Videl looked at him skeptically. "Jealous much?"

"What?! No!" Gohan sputtered. "He's really not who you think he is!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes!" He gestured to himself. "He's just a regular guy, like me!"

"And you're supposed to be a 'regular guy'?"

"Yes. No!" Gohan slapped his forehead. "I mean, he's not some high and lofty hero like you make him out to be!"

Videl cocked her head at him. "Really."

"Yes really!"

"Man… to be bad mouthing your best friend because I choose to date you. Here I thought you were a pretty decent guy."

Gohan's ki surged beneath his control. "That's not what I'm trying to say! I'm not badmouthing him! I'm _saying_ that _I'm-_" Gohan stopped cold.

Videl narrowed her eyes at him. "You're what!?"

_No… That energy! _Gohan's jaw went slack. His eyes went wide and he spun around to gape at the horizon. _Could it be? _"He's… he's here!"

"What? Who's here!?"

"I don't believe it!" Gohan spun back around and pulled Videl into an embrace. "He's actually here!" She blushed at the sudden contact. As he pulled away, she saw the biggest smile on his face. His eyes were full of joy.

"Got to go, Videl!" He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "He's back!"

Videl touched the spot with her fingertips. Her eyes were round. She couldn't believe Gohan actually did that. "W-who's back?" she said unsteadily.

He backed away and raised two fingers to his forehead, grinning for all he was worth.

"My dad!"

And just like that, he vanished.

* * *

A/N: HA! Take THAT foul writer's block!  
EAT MY SHOOOOOOORTS!  
Hey more drama. At least Videl friggin' admits attraction now. She's in lurve with the same guy twice! That's gotta cause some kinda trauma in the future. Also, Goku ex-machina.

For those that care, this is the crappy, daytime soap opera version:  
*flower petals* "Dearest Videlu-chan," *dramatic pause* "I love you!"  
*sparkles* "I'm sorry Gohano-kun," *big ol' teary anime eyes* "But we can never be together!  
*shock and dismay* "But why? Why Videlu-chan?!"  
"Because Gohano-kun," *dreamy expression* "I am in love with your evil twin!"  
"You're wrong Videlu-chan!" *mask removal* "I AM my evil twin!"  
DUHN DUHN DUUUUUUUUUUUHN!

B-waaaaah? 3 chappies at once? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS!? Hope this tides you over for a time. :)  
Thanks for the Reading! And the Reviewing!  
Both are great encouragements to me!


	22. The Return

**DISCLAIMER**: Have you been reading all these chapters up til now? Do I need to repeat myself?

Ch. 22: The Return

* * *

"Goku!"

"Hey Chichi!" Goku's face was split in a wide grin. "I'm home!'

"Oh Goku!" Chichi threw herself into his arms. "You're back! You're really back!"

"Well, just for a little while." Goku chuckled. He squeezed her tightly. "It's good to see you."

They stood there for a while, embracing. Chichi's tears leaked onto Goku's orange gi, but neither of them cared. "Seven years! Seven years Goku! It had darn well better be good to see me!"

Goku laughed again, picking his wife up and spinning her around. "Of course it is! I've missed you guys!" She giggled like a little girl, wrapping her arms around him. They slowed to a stop and Chichi kissed him.

Deeply.

Goku's senses spun. Kisses, once he'd learned that they were, tended to do that. They made him feel dizzy, weak, and full of energy at the same time. He kissed her back, trying to match her fervor. He'd figured out over the years that she liked this sort of thing. He liked it too, but she definitely liked it more than he did.

Eventually they broke apart. Chich's face was turning red. Still grinning, Goku set her down and looked curiously at the doorway. "And who's this?"

Goten darted back behind the door frame.

Chichi smiled. It was a genuine smile that belied her years. "That's Goten."

"Goten?"

"Your son."

Goku looked at her, startled. "You… we have another son?" He looked at her seriously. "Chichi, I didn't know…"

"It's okay." Chichi interrupted, beaming up at him. "We'll talk about that later." She pulled him into another embrace. "You just need to go and meet him. He's just like you."

The saiyan warrior smiled and walked over to the doorway. He crouched down and spoke softly. "Hey there Goten. My name's Goku."

Goten peeked out from behind the door.

Goku grinned. "Say, you've got the same haircut that I do!"

Goten blushed. He moved back behind the door.

"Don't worry, I think it's pretty cool." Goku chuckled.

"Are... are you really my dad?" The little boy said shyly.

"I think so." Goku said. He looked questioningly at Goten. "Do you want me to be your dad?"

Goten thought for a moment, looking Goku up and down. They locked eyes. Goten stared at this man intently. Goku matched his gaze and smiled disarmingly. Goten narrowed his eyes in intense study. What was so familiar about this guy? And then it clicked.

This man looked like Gohan.

Goten nodded furiously, convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Goku smiled warmly. "Then I'm your dad." Goku was suddenly in the clutches of a little boy no higher than his waist.

"Daddy!"

Joy shone on Goku's face. He lifted his son up and spun in circles with him. Goten laughed, flinging his arms out. They slowed to a stop and Goku took another look at his newfound son. Goten really was a miniature replica of him. From the black spiky hair right down to the shoes on his feet.

Goku shook his head in amazement. Another son. Why didn't anyone tell him these things? He looked around with another sudden thought.

"Hey Chichi, where's Gohan?"

"Oh! He went to take his girlfriend home."

"Girlfriend?" Goku tilted his head to one side. "What's a girlfriend?" He set Goten on the ground. "Man! I've missed out on so much! I hope I didn't miss dinner though." He grinned. "They don't make food in the afterlife as good as yours, Chi."

Chichi blushed happily. "Oh you! I just finished fixing dinner, but we'll have to wait until Gohan gets back."

Goku's stomach grumbled, but he nodded his assent. He hadn't forgotten Chichi's food protection technique. Better a rumbling tummy than an aching head. He was about to follow his wife and child into their house when a spike of energy caused Goku to stop. It felt a lot like Gohan's energy. But a spike that large couldn't be him. Gohan wasn't at that level yet, was he? A moment passed and the energy suddenly appeared behind him. Close behind him.

"Dad?"

Goku's eyes went wide. Slowly, he turned around.

* * *

Videl stared at the place Gohan had just been. _He just… He just disappeared! How'd he do that!?_ Head still reeling from the kiss, she wobbled inside. The balcony they landed on was the one just outside her father's room. Luckily he wasn't home. Probably still grandstanding with the press somewhere.

Videl left the room and walked down the hall. She flung the door open to her own bedroom and flopped wearily down on the bed. Today had been tough on the poor girl. Mentally, emotionally, physically, Videl felt drained. And that thing with Gohan?

_What was that all about, anyway? _She looked wearily at her cell phone. The sudden urge to talk to someone about it, to decompress all this new information, was unbearable. She slowly reached over and dialed the number.

*click* "Hello?"

"Hey Erasa."

"Videl! Hey! What's up?"

"Uh… nothing much." Videl sighed. "Well… a lot actually."

"Something wrong Videl? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Erasa, but…"

"Who's the guy I need to beat up?!"

Videl chuckled at the bubbly threat. "It's nothing that serious, but…I need to talk to someone about it. Could you…"

"OMG. Videl needs some girl talk?! Ohmygoshohmygosh oh my GOSH! I'll be over in, like, five minutes!"

"He asked you if you liked him and you said NO?!"

Videl winced. "Well, it was more like a not yet…"

"Videeeeeeeeel!" Erasa groaned. "That was like, the _worst_ possible choice!"

"What do you mean?"

"You obviously like Gohan! Your reaction from him giving you something as sweet as a kiss on the cheek tells me that much!" Erasa wagged her finger in Videl's face. "You just dumped the world's hunkiest guy for somebody you barely even know!"

"World's hunkiest…" Videl shook her head. "Look, it's bad enough to admit that I actually, might, kinda sorta like Gohan, but I didn't want to get his hopes up!"

Erasa groaned again, rubbing her temples. "Kami! I have, like, the most romantically blind friends in the world!"

Videl rolled her eyes. "I just want to get to know the Gold Fighter better so I can make an informed decision."

"AGH. You HAVE enough information! Gohan is mad crazy about you, his mom loves you, his little brother adores you, and you like them all! It ain't rocket science, Videl." Erasa tapped the side of her head. "You barely know _anything_ about the Gold Fighter besides the fact that he's got the world's best abs." (mmmm those abs)

"I know, but…" Videl fidgeted. "I thought that we had a connection. The Gold Fighter, he…"

"He what?"

"He and I share a similar history. Plus, he's the first guy I ever had a crush on." Videl looked away, shyly. "You remember, when we were watching the Cell games? That little kid?"

"Oh yeah, you totally had a puppy love for… Oh." Erasa's eyes got large. "OOOOooooh."

"So, yeah. It's… hard, right now." Videl buried her face in her hands. "I don't know Erasa. I'm still getting over the fact that a friend of mine has superpowers. I'm super glad that Saiyaman is actually Gohan, and I do," she blushed, "kinda sorta like him, but what about the Gold Fighter? I… we had a connection! It felt so… so right, being around him. I like Gohan, but if he's hiding things… I just don't know what to do…" Videl trailed off, face distraught.

"Jeez." Erasa shook her head. She'd never seen Videl like this before. Videl tried to stay pretty far away from boy drama. She stared down at her phone in her hands a moment. "What happened next?"

"He wanted to tell me something about the Gold Fighter. Like, he wasn't all that he was cracked up to be or something." Videl shook her head. "I never pegged Gohan to be the jealous type."

"He… was going to tell you about the Gold Fighter?" Erasa looked wide eyed at Videl. "Then what happened? What'd he say?"

"He stopped out of nowhere! Said something about his dad being home and vanished." Videl frowned. "But his dad died. It didn't seem like he was trying to bail… maybe he has a step-dad or…" She noticed Erasa's face. "What?"

Erasa's face was red and she had her fists clenched. "That… that... IDIOT!"

"What?"

"He didn't tell you!? Kami, when I get my hands on him I'll…" Erasa pounded her fist on the bed angrily. "Dangit Gohan!"

"Erasa?"

She looked earnestly at Videl. "Of course you felt a connection with the Gold Fighter! Heck you already KNOW the Gold Fighter!" Erasa flung her hands in the air. "Kami on high! I could've SWORN you would've figured it out by now!"

_Figure what out? _Videl narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Erasa, what do you know that I don't?"

Erasa groaned again. "Stupid promises." She lifted her cell phone and started angrily dialing a number.

"Erasa, wha-"

"Hello? Hi, this is Erasa, Gohan's classmate. …Yes I'd like to speak with Gohan please."

Videl waved her hands in the air. "No no no! Erasa!" She whispered loudly. "What are you _doing_?"

"Gohan!" Erasa pushed Videl away. "Gohan you scumbag! Why haven't you told Videl yet!? I'm sitting here talking to her and _she_ says that you were going to tell her about the Gold Fighter and …" Erasa paused. "Whaddaya mean you'll tell her later?! This is _important_ Gohan! She needs to know!" Erasa's eyes narrowed and Videl moved back from the angry blonde. "I don't care if something came up! Listen here, jerkwad! You like Videl right?" Videl blushed. "You want to marry this girl, right?!" Videl's jaw dropped. "You want to make a million babies with her, right?! You want to ravish her under the moonlight while…"

"ERASAAAAAAH!"

Videl heard that loud and clear, even over the phone. She imagined the look on Gohan's face. It was probably as red as hers was right now. Erasa had no sense of modesty sometimes.

"Good! If you want to get _anywhere_ past friendship or if you even remotely _care_ about Videl, you'll tell her the next chance you get!" Erasa paused again, features relaxing. "Aw, c'mon Gohan. She'll be fine. Trust me, I'm like, her bestest friend ever. I think I'd know… Yeah, I get that, but she'll be fine."

She listened a while longer. She turned away from Videl, looking concerned. "Wait… what? What do you mean he's back? ... I don't understand… Yeah, we'll be there tomorrow… Okay… Okay… Yeah, but… Oh C'mon! Can I tell her then? Please? ... Yeah… yeah you're right. Okay… Sure. See you then… Bye Gohan."

Erasa shut her phone with a snap and glared at Videl. "He wants to tell you himself, but he's a little nervous about how you'll react." She stuck her nose in the air. "From your track record, I have to agree with him."

Videl felt annoyed. "I can handle anything he tells me!"

Erasa shot her a skeptical look. "Sure you can. Anyway, he shoulda told you waaaay sooner."

"Told me what?!"

"I promised I wouldn't tell."

Videl, frustrated, let out a yell. "ERASA!"

"Anyway, there's been a real shakeup at his house." Erasa ignored her friend's angry glare. "From what I heard, it's like someone's back from the dead!"

* * *

Gohan hung up the phone and went back to the dinner table, ignoring the curious looks form his parents. That's right. His parents. Two of them! Mother AND father!

Goku had returned.

*OhSnapFlashback!*

The minute Gohan reappeared on the mountain, his vision was arrested by the figure standing in the doorway to his house.

The man turned around and the two stood in shock of each other. Gohan in the fact that his dad had come back. Goku in the sight of his son so very different. They longer they stared at each other, the more they saw how the other had changed.

"Gohan?" Goku took in the tall young man. Surprise showed on his face. He grinned. "Gohan? Is that you? Wow! You're as tall as I am now! And that hair! When did you cut it?"

Gohan stared at his father. Goku was the same. The exact same as before he left. Before he died. Gohan started to shake. The strongest man he'd ever known was standing in front of him once again. Memories flooded his mind. His father leading him, teaching him, training him, protecting him. That same smiling face, that same presence, that hair... and then that moment before Cell exploded. His last goodbye. Tears leaked from the corners of Gohan's obsidian eyes.

Goku watched his son, happiness turning to concern. "Hey, you okay Gohan?"

With a wordless cry, Gohan shot towards his father. Goku had a fraction of a second to brace for impact before his son collided full force into his chest. He felt the wind knocked from him slightly. Powerful arms squeezed the breath from his lungs.

"Dad!" Gohan buried his face in the familiar shoulder, hugging his father fiercely. "Dad, you're home!" The joy that filled Gohan felt blew away all the anxiety, all the stress that he'd been wrestling with. He felt his father hug him back, his energy pulsing in soothing waves.

Goku was home.

*EndDeFlashback*

Gohan watched at his father, horking down food so fast you'd think he was a vacuum. Goten was trying to copy him, but couldn't quite match his pace without choking. Gohan ate a little slower, the phone call having put a damper on his own feelings of joy.

Yeah, he felt guilty about leaving Videl with only half an explanation, if you could call that miserable mess an explanation. Then again, what else could he do? His father, his idol, the man who saved the world countless times, came back. No way was he going to miss even a moment away from his father's side.

He grimaced as the thought back to the balcony. He felt like she ripped his heart out with a fork and then gave it back to him, saying something like 'sorry I can't eat this' when she rejected him for his alter ego. She said she _did_ like him! Both of him! Er… both his egos. But didn't want to do anything about it because of liking the other ego more.

Gohan chewed his dinner morosely. _Didn't think liking Videl would be such a pain in the neck._

Eventually the flurry of food subsided and Goku leaned back in his chair happily. "Chichi, that has got to be the best meal you have _ever_ made!"

Chichi beamed at her husband. "Glad you liked it."

Goku rubbed his belly. "Oh man, I'm stuffed!" He looked over at Gohan. "So, who's Videl?"

Gohan blushed. "A girl from school."

"Not just any girl from school." Chichi winked at Goku. "His girlfriend."

Gohan stiffened. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Ahuh, sure she isn't." Chichi winked again.

"Girlfriend? What's that?" Gohan didn't say anything, but judging from his somber look it was something pretty important. After a moment, Goku shrugged, sure he'd find out later. He glanced at the mountain of dishes and nodded. "Alright, Chi. You cooked, I'll clean."

Chichi and Gohan stared at Goku, stunned. Chichi put her hand to Goku's forehead. "Are you feeling alright? I know you just came back for a day, but maybe the return trip made you sick?"

Goku frowned. "I'm fine Chi!"

Goten giggled. "I'll help you Daddy!" he said, eager to please his newfound father.

"Thanks Goten." Goku smiled. "We'll have it done in no time!"

Chichi watched, amazed as her husband and youngest son did the dishes. Gohan just laughed. Goku sure knew how to surprise people. Chichi took a seat down at the table, smiling slightly, not wanting to leave in case someone dropped something. Better to supervise than do nothing at all.

Gohan watched Goku collect the dishes and save them from falling from Goten's inexperienced hands. Even the act of doing the dishes made it feel like their family was complete again. He got to his feet and moved to stand beside his little brother. Drying the dishes as they came out of the rinsing sink. Goten glanced up at his brother. He grinned and sped up. Gohan raised an eyebrow and kept pace with the speedy little saiyan. Goku caught on to the race and they began flying through the dishes.

They were doing pretty well too. They were actually nearing the end of the pile when the inevitable happened. Goten juggled the wet dishes faster and faster until a lone dish fell out of his hands. His eyes went wide and time seemed to slow. Gohan was in motion before he'd even registered his own movement. He swung himself back, showing an amazing flexibility as he caught the plate just before it touched the ground.

Goku's eyebrows lifted. "Nice catch."

Gohan cleared his throat. He had to slow down. Things were becoming too much of a competition. He didn't want to interrupt the peace of his home with another explosion. He looked at Goten. "Let's slow it down a little, okay squirt?"

"Okay Gohan." Goten acquiesced.

Gohan took a breath in an attempt to steady his unruly ki and went back to drying and stacking the dishes. It didn't work too well. Last week, these little flare ups never happened. Now though, everyday things were capable of turning into battles. Goku, who had been watching him carefully, washed at a slower pace as well. It took a little longer, but all the dishes got done. All the pots and pans were put away and all the counter tops were wiped clean.

Goku smiled happily at his sons. "Nice job." He didn't enjoy doing the dishes, but he enjoyed spending time with his family. Then he looked at Gohan seriously. There was still something unfamiliar about Gohan's energy. "Gohan, have you been training recently? Your ki is acting kinda funny."

Gohan glanced over at his mom. Chichi nodded. "C'mon. Let's talk this out in the living room." They moved into the living room and settled on the furniture. Goten scooted up against his father's side. Gohan and Chichi sat opposite Goku and wondered where to begin.

*One Exposition Later*

"So, you're going crazy because Chichi didn't let you train enough?"

Chichi glared at Goku. Gohan sighed. "No, Dad. I'm going crazy because I don't know the limit of my own power."

Goku nodded. "It still doesn't make much sense to me, but I think I can help out with that a little bit."

Chichi looked at him suspiciously. "How?"

"Oh," Goku shrugged nonchalantly, "We'll think of something." He winked at Gohan.

Chichi caught the wink. She frowned. "Oh no you don't! You are NOT going to go out training! You just came back! There is NO WAY I am letting you out of the house tonight!"

Goku put up his hands in a placating gesture. "Don't worry Chi. I'm staying inside. I just figured me and Gohan could go out sometime tomorrow and spar a bit. See if we can't find this limit thing before I have to go."

Chichi nodded, though she was still slightly suspicious. "Okay, but remember you also promised to meet up with everyone tomorrow. No skipping out."

Gohan spoke up just as inspiration struck him. "Hey mom, there's a carnival going on in the city tomorrow. It's a kind of a Cell's defeat celebration. We could have everyone meet up and go together. What do you say?"

"Hey that's a great idea Gohan!" Goku nodded enthusiastically. "Can we go Chi? Please?"

Chichi nodded thoughtfully. "That's not a bad idea." She leaned towards Gohan, grinning deviously. "Is _Videl_ going to be there?"

"Uh... yeah." Gohan frowned. "She is."

Chichi matched his frown. "Did something happen?"

Gohan shook his head. "I don't really wanna talk about it right now." Things were getting out of hand with the whole Gold Fighter thing. _Dad came back so suddenly that I neglected to finish telling Videl the truth. Kami, why did he have to show up then? I'm happy he's here, but just… why right then?_

Goku looked from his wife to his son, confused. Nobody had told him what a girlfriend was yet. Guess he was gonna have to ask someone else.

Chichi didn't press any further. Gohan needed to figure this out himself. She then, having a strong motherly instinct, glanced at the clock. "Okay boys, time for bed."

A gentle snore emerged from Goten. He'd been cuddled up to Goku's side for a while now. He fell asleep while they were talking. Goku lifted the little boy gently and carried him up to his room.

Chichi sighed, eyes dreamy. Her gaze followed Goku's back as it disappeared around the corner and up the stairs. "Ooooh! He's still just as handsome as I remember."

Gohan cleared his throat. Immediately uncomfortable.

She didn't turn, but spoke to Gohan. "You might want to get out of the house for a little while. Goten will sleep through it, but you might not."

Gohan's face went pale. That was something he did NOT need to know! Quick as a flash, Gohan shot through the living room, grabbed his shoes, and zipped out the door. Who wants to know their parents are going to do it? _NO ONE. Uh-uh. Nobody. Gross. Gross gross gross._ Gohan flew towards the lake, cringing. _I need a mind wash._

Back at the house, Goku came back into the living room, perplexed. "Where'd Gohan go?"

"Oh," Chichi seductively walked up to her husband, "he decided to give us some _alone_ time."

"Huh." Goku nodded, completely missing the implications. "That was thoughtful of him. What do you wanna do now?"

Chichi rolled her eyes. Sometimes her Goku was almost too innocent. He really wasn't getting it, so she… uh… did a thing.

Goku's eyes widened.

"Oh."

* * *

Gohan woke up with a foul taste in his mouth. "Gurgh." He mumbled, pulling himself out of his bed and stumbling to the bathroom. Last night had been a nightmare. Almost enough to make a guy want to move out. Nobody wants to know that their parents are doing… things.

It had been nearing 1 in the morning when he figured that they would've finished. He flew back home, tired and anxious about the carnival tomorrow. He landed, got within spitting distance, and heard some undeniable noises.

They weren't done.

Feeling ill, Gohan shot off back into the woods. Mortified that they might've heard him land. The teen saiyan knew that reproduction was enjoyable. He knew that's how babies are made. That didn't mean he wanted to listen to his parents doing the nasty!

He waited a time in the woods. Trying to keep from nodding off. Eventually his watch notified him that is was 3 AM. Gohan floated back, keeping his energy level low. He listened carefully, but the house was silent this time around. With a relieved sigh, he floated in his bedroom window, flopped on his bed, and passed out.

"Merghlblerg." Gohan switched the shower on, cranking the water temperature to 'surface of the sun'. Even though he was crabby from the lack of sleep, he really couldn't blame his parents. They'd been apart for 7 years! Who wouldn't want to … uh… do things… after a seven year break? He stepped in the shower and let out a contented sigh. But who really cared? Goku was here. That made everything alright.

Well, until he left again.

The thought jolted Gohan fully awake. Goku was still dead. He would have to return to the afterlife when this day was over. Gohan leaned his head against the shower wall. Sadness washed over him. He's just back for a day… He has to stay dead. Everything was alright now, but Goten would be losing the father he'd just met! Chichi would be missing her husband for another seven years or however long it was before Goku was allowed back. And Gohan…

He still needed to say sorry.

Gohan sighed. _He… he doesn't hold grudges, right? I mean it's not like he… hates me or anything._ Despair hit him in the gut. _I'm… I'm just the one who got him killed. Kami, why does everything have to happen at once? I just have to make the most of the time we have. Spend time with dad, be happy, find my limit. With dad's help it should be easy, right?_

He nodded. _Then I tell Videl everything. We'll still be friends and I'll finish the school year as best I can._ Then he slumped. _Jeez, that's waaaaay harder than I make it sound. What if something goes wrong? What if I can't find my limit even with Dad's help? What if I go crazy?_ He turned off the water and toweled off._ Who knows? Something might attack the earth again and I'll be off the hook. I'll just drop out of Videl's life and fight to save the world. No one the wiser._ He stared in the mirror. _I'd watch over her from the shadows and protect her when she's in over her head and…_

"Who am I kidding?" He said to his reflection. "This is the worst."

"What's the worst?"

Gohan jumped slightly. Goku walked in the bathroom nonchalantly. Gohan pulled the towel around his waist and said, "Woah Dad! Ever think about knocking first?"

"Ah, sorry." Goku scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It's been a long time since I've had to do that." He lowered his hand. "What's the worst?"

Gohan sighed and ran a hand through his damp spikes of hair, trying to brush back the lone piece that hung down over his eyes. "It's a long story. Someone discovered that the guys from the Cell games are still around. I have to tell them that I was one of them."

"Oh." Goku frowned. "Why is that so hard?"

"Because… because I know that if I tell them the truth, they might get hurt. They might hate me. I don't want to do that to one of my friends."

Goku nodded. "Your, girlfriend you mean?"

Gohan turned red. "What? No! She doesn't… I mean she isn't my…"

Goku chuckled, patting Gohan on the shoulder. "Just kidding." He shrugged. "I still don't get what a girlfriend is though. C'mon, let's get to that carnival. I'm sure you'll be able to tell her when the time is right."

Gohan sighed again, smiling weakly. "I hope so."

* * *

**A/N**: What's this? A set-up chapter? :I  
And yes. I too am frustrated that Gohan didn't do CRAP! Like… I know I'm postponing it to make the big reveal more dramatic, but c'mon! Man up, Gohan!  
What? Me and Erasa? Yeah, we're together on this.

BTW, we've reached 300 follows and 300 favs! You know what that means?

***BONUS GAME!***

The last little storything got so many positive stuffs from it, I figured on doing another one at the next milestone. Yeah it's a little late, so sue me (please don't). Please choose one lovely selection from the following! The most popular will come as a bonus blurb in the next chapter.

1\. Pick a short fairy tale to be DBZ-ified.  
2\. Piccolo discovering the impracticality of capes.  
3\. Gohan's love potion mishaps.  
4\. Sharpner's hair secrets.

Reviews are nice, but you can just PM me with your choice. Thanks so much!

Things are coming together now. By my count, he has only a few days to find his limit, or go stark raving mad. Will Goku be able to help?  
Thanks again for reading and all those reviews! Even the ones that express frustration with the characters. It makes me look back and say 'yeah… that was kind of a jerk move.' I made a promise not to edit stuff after already putting them up. Kinda like "You wrote yourself into this plot-hole, you gotta write your way out of it!" kind of mentality. :D


	23. The Carnival

**DISCLAIMER**: blah blah blah Dragonball blah blah blah Plot blah blah Characters blah blah blah I Don't Own Crap.

Ch. 23: The Carnival

* * *

On a slight hill overlooking the part, the prince of all saiyans stood with his family. He surveyed the carnival set up below them and sneered. "How worthless. A noisy, dirty gathering of weaklings in celebration of that blithering oaf."

"Oh shut your trap Vegeta." Bulma rolled her eyes. "Can't you just admit that you're excited to see Goku again?"

"Woman, there if there is one person I loathe above all others, it's that buffoon Kakkarot!" Vegeta snarled. "I'm only here because you dragged me out of my training regimen with threats to take away my nourishment."

"Don't you forget it bub." Bulma glanced around. They'd been the first to arrive at the carnival. Bright lights, loud music pulsed around them. It was all Trunks could to not go rushing over to the games and rides. The little saiyan stood beside his parents impatiently.

Bulma waved to a couple weaving their way through the crowd. "Krillin! Eighteen! Over here!"

"Bulma!" Krillin hurried up the blue haired genius. "How are ya? It's been a while! You're looking good!" Vegeta growled and Krillin looked away hastily. "Not in a sensual way, you just seem healthy is all." Vegeta huffed and turned his head away. Krillin sighed. "Good to see you too Vegeta."

"Hey Krillin! I see you're in good spirits." Bulma looked behind him. "Eighteen! It's good to see you! How's Marron?"

"Doing well." The cold voice of Eighteen softened a bit. "She's been looking forward to the carnival for a while now." The little girl in her arms nodded shyly. Eighteen's pale eyes slid to Bulma's husband. "Vegeta." She said, nodding.

He nodded back. They had become quite civil towards each other, thankfully. Bulma didn't have many female friends to begin with. If her husband chased another away… She turned and saw Master Roshi and Oolong coming toward them. A large red hand print on Roshi's face.

"Hey Roshi. Getting into trouble already?"

"Hey, I was just admiring the wares. She hit me out of nowhere." Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. "Wasn't my fault."

"Yeah sure." She smiled. "Hey Oolong. How's it been?"

The short pig man grunted. "Not bad. Had trouble finding this place though. I forgot that everyone calls it Satan City now."

"Yeah, it put a little bit of a hamper on our travel plans." Krillin grinned. "You guys see anyone else?"

"Nope. You guys are the first we've seen." Bulma said.

Suddenly a cheery voice called out from behind them. "Bulma! Krillin! Hey!"

The group turned to see Yamucha trotting towards them. Puar floating slightly behind him.

Bulma smiled. "Hey Yamucha. Puar."

The high pitched voice of the floating blue cat was filled with excitement. "Bulma! It's good to see you! Hello Krillin! Master Roshi!" Greetings were passed around. Though the reason why Yamucha stayed away from Vegeta is pretty well known, it's an entirely different story for another time.

"Have you guys seen Goku yet?"

Yamucha shook his head. "Not yet. But we came in from the south side of the park. Maybe we missed them."

They waited a little while, catching up with one another. Tien showed up along with Chiaotsu and more greetings and catching up happened.

Vegeta stayed silent through it all. Declining to talk to anyone, deeming it beneath him. Eventually, a spark of energy caught his attention. He lifted his eyes and sure enough, a group of specks were growing larger as they made their way through the sky.

He snorted. "About time."

Bulma caught his words and looked skyward. She grinned. "Goku!"

The group around her looked up and broke out into cheers.

"You're back!"

"Alright Goku!"

"About time you made it here!"

The group landed on the ground. Goku carried Chichi and Gohan and Goten landed alongside Piccolo.

Goku smiled. "Hi guys!" He said cheerfully. "Miss me?" He was immediately surrounded by his friends. Thumping him on the back, hugging him, and generally being a pack of happy people.

"Welcome back!"

"Welcome back Goku!"

"Good to have you back!"

"Thanks guys." He walked over to Vegeta. "Hey Vegeta! How's it been?"

"Well Kakarot," Vegeta said haughtily, "I'll have you know that I have achieved the ascended form. I have reached a higher point that only those of undeniable power have rea-"

"Neat!" Goku interrupted. "We should spar sometime!"

"…." Vegeta stared at him for a moment then turned and fell silent. Frustrated and embarrassed at having been cut off in the middle of his usual tirade.

Goku turned. "Tien! Chiaotsu! Man it's been ages! How are you guys?"

Tien smiled. "We've been fine Goku."

Goku greeted master Roshi, Oolong, and Bulma who likewise in turn greeted Chichi, Piccolo, and Gohan. Everyone was smiling from ear to ear, barring Vegeta. Even Piccolo had on his own smile.

"Sorry we're late though." Goku said in apology. "We swung by the lookout to visit Dende and Popo." Everyone nodded their understanding and the happy little group moved on into the carnival to play games, eat food, ride rides, and have an all around good time.

That is, until Chichi noticed something. "Hey, has anyone seen Goten?" She turned to Gohan. "Gohan, would you keep an eye on your little brother?"

Gohan nodded, looking around for his brother. Goten and Trunks, however, had already dashed off to make chaos with the games and rides in the carnival. Gohan searched for their ki and sighed. He headed off to try and stop whatever mischief they'd be sure to get into. Hopefully they'd be alright on their own for a little while.

* * *

Videl waited outside the Ferris Wheel. Sharpner and Erasa had gotten on just moments before for a little romantic schmoozing. Videl made a face at the thought. Being the third wheel sucks. Gohan hadn't shown his face yet, so she was stuck with the two lovebirds.

Speaking of Gohan, how was she supposed to hang out with him if he was still keeping secrets!? It would bother her too much to be able to actually have fun. Her need to find out was too great. She thought about what he'd said the day before. _The Gold Fighter isn't what I think he is. If he's not a superhero, then what is he?_ And what Erasa had said last night. _The Gold Fighter is someone I know… Who? I don't know anyone who looks remotely like him!_ She thought about it the longer she stood there. _Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall, muscular…_ She shook her head. _How could he hide that? Erasa said I know him, so he's attending our school. He looked about my age, so he'd be in my grade. Wigs? Colored contacts? Special effects?_ How many times had she been over this? It was like her brain was on repeat. A bunch of shouting distracted her from her line of thinking. She turned to see two little boys yelling at a game vendor.

"How did you do that?! It's not possible!" The vendor hollered.

"I told you, I just did!" The little boy, with spiky black hair shouted back. "I won the prize fair and square!"

"No you didn't! It's just busted is all!"

"I told you Goten." A little lavender haired boy said, shaking his head. "All these games are rigged. This one has the bottles nailed to the table."

"Goten?" Videl wondered aloud.

"They are not, you little liar!" The vendor shrieked, trying to dissuade the little boy and the growing crowd. "There's just no way that a little brat like you could knock them all over! I just set them up wrong is all."

"Just give him the prize ya jerk!" Someone called out behind them. "He knocked 'em all over anyway!" A few others called out an agreement.

The vendor just scowled darkly. "No prizes for cheaters! Get out of here!"

"But that's not fair, Trunks!" Goten pouted. "I knocked them all down just like he wanted me to!"

"Listen Goten." Trunks put an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Just let it go, man. We'll try another game." He turned him around and whispered frantically in Goten's ear.

Videl watched as Goten's face brightened and he nodded happily. The boys turned to leave when suddenly, Trunks zipped forward and snatched the basket of balls out from behind the counter. Ignoring the shouts of the vendor, he passed them to Goten and together, they hurled all the balls at the stacks of bottles. Some shattered, some when flying, but all the stacks fell over in some way.

The vendor screeched something unintelligible and vaulted the counter to chase the boys. Goten and Trunks let out a whoop before speeding away, untouched. The vendor gave chase for a while, giving the speedy little boys time to circle back and snag as many prizes as they could carry from the game.

The crowd laughed heartily to see the two little boys scurry away with teddy bears the size of minivans while the vendor threw a fit. Even Videl chuckled to herself. "Little troublemakers." She glanced up at the Ferris Wheel and made a snap decision. She headed off after the boys. Curious about what other shenanigans they might be up to.

Minutes later, a tall, dark eyed boy came up to the angry vendor and exchanged a few words. He apologized hastily and paid the man, dashing off in the same direction Videl went.

* * *

"Trunks? Maybe we should give these back."

Trunks looked down from another huge bear he was stuffing high in the branches of an elm tree. They figured it was as good a place as any to stash their spoils. "No way Goten. We won these fair and square. It's not our fault they refused to give them to us."

Goten looked up at his own giant bears and frowned. "Yeah, but mom says we shouldn't take anything without permission."

"Goten, if we didn't have permission, why would they let us play the games in the first place?" Trunks jumped down from the tree. "They just want to take all our money anyway. Like I keep saying, it's all rigged. We're just taking what they owe us, right?"

"I guess so." Goten nodded, face still doubtful. "But they aren't gonna let us play more games if we keep doing this."

Trunks looked thoughtful. "I guess you're right about that." He looked at all the prizes they had accumulated so far. He smiled suddenly. "Hey! How about we set up our own game?"

"Our own game?"

"Yeah! We'd make it tough, but fair. If they win, they can pick whatever prize they want!"

Goten brightened. "Yeah! Trunks, that's a great idea!"

Trunks looked up at the tree laden with giant stuffed bears. "We've got enough prizes. All we need now is a disguise and a stand of our own."

"How're we gonna do that?"

Trunks looked back towards the game vendors. A devilish smile crossed his face. "Oh, we'll think of something. C'mon Goten."

Together, they rushed back to the carnival, dead set on making their own game.

* * *

Videl cursed her bad luck. "Where'd those little kids run off to?" she muttered. They were speedy little buggers for sure! And with a carnival this big, it was sheer luck that she'd caught sight of them only a few times. Each time she'd seen them, they had been hurrying away from a game, laden with prizes. The now empty game vendor either wearing a tired, bemused face, or an angry look. She'd tried to catch them, to say hi to Goten and stop whatever mischief they'd been up to, but they always lost her somewhere in the crowd.

She sighed and leaned against a stand to rest. She hadn't even seen Gohan yet. Did that jerk bail on her? She shook her head. Gohan wouldn't bail. She knew him too well for that. But she did kind of reject him yesterday. Was he harboring any resentment towards her now?

Videl shook her head. No use thinking about it. She just had to find the guy. Though how she was going to do that eluded her. It was already apparent that she wasn't going to catch two little boys carrying armfuls of crappy carnival toys. How was she going to find a guy who was much taller and maybe didn't want to see her?

Videl wandered through the crowd, feeling a little lost. A high pitched voice reached her ears as another vendor started calling out about their game.

"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Try your luck at the one and only, Smack the Jack! Bet you a zenni you can't do it!"

_Smack the Jack?_ Videl glanced over at the small crowd around the vendor. _I've never heard of that game before._ She walked over to see, to her surprise, the little lavender haired hid wearing a giant false mustache and top hat.

"Step right up!" Trunks bawled loudly, his young voice startling some of the people. "Hit my furry friend over here and win the prize of your choice!"

Videl looked over inside the booth. Sure enough, there, in a rabbit costume with branches poking out the top, supposedly to resemble horns, stood Goten.

Goten pouted at his friend. "Hey Trunks, why do I have to be the game again?"

"Because Goten," Trunks said, annoyed, "girls like cute little rabbits, so they'll bring their boyfriends over to play. You're cuter than I am, so you'll get more girls."

Goten pouted harder. "I'm not cute Trunks."

Videl glanced at the group of ladies cooing and squealing over Goten over the counter. She looked back to really did look adorable. Floppy white ears, black spikes of hair poking out from under his bunny hood, big pouty eyes. Any girl would coo over that.

She watched as a few of the girls' boyfriends rolled their eyes. One of them stepped up to the counter.

"Only a zenni?" He asked. "I'll pay a zenni to whack your friend." He was a burly guy. Probably lifted weights in his spare time.

A girl, obviously his girlfriend, smacked him across the arm. "Don't you dare hit that precious little guy, you brute!"

The guy shrugged. "Don't worry babe, I won't hit him hard. Plus it's to support their business, right?"

Trunks eagerly took the money from the man and turned back to Goten. "See? I told you it would work!" Goten still pouted and he sighed. "If it makes you feel better, next year, I'll be the bunny."

"Really Trunks?"

"I promise. I'll even let you buy whatever you want with your share of the cash."

"Cool! Thanks!" Goten grinned, making the ladies 'awww'. He bounced on his toes lightly as Trunks reached behind the counter and brought out a basket full of nerf balls. "I'm ready when you are!"

"Okay!" He turned to the man. "You get three tries. After that, it's game over."

"Yeah yeah, sure thing kid." The guy chuckled, picking up his first nerf ball. He lobbed it toward Goten gently. It was a slow pitch. Goten dodged the ball easily. The guy's girlfriend called out encouragements to Goten, making her boyfriend stiffen slightly. The next ball he threw had a little more oomph to it. Jealousy can do that to you. Goten dodged it neatly.

The guy narrowed his eyes at Goten. He wound up and threw his ball like a pitcher at Goten. The ball whizzed through the air, smacking only into the backdrop of the stand. Goten had dodged them all.

Trunks grinned and pulled the basket away from the counter. "Nice throw, but you totally missed."

The crowd behind them laughed, causing the guy to grow red in the face. He whipped out another zenni and thrust it at Trunks. Trunks smiled cheekily and pulled the basket out again. Three more balls zipped through the air. Goten dodged them all effortlessly, pulling silly faces.

The guy was steaming by now. His girlfriend scoffed at him, cheering all the louder for Goten. He slammed his hands on the counter. "This game is rigged!"

Trunks tut-tutted at him. "It's not rigged. You're just a lousy shot!"

The guy stared at him, slack jawed. Slowly his hands formed fists. "Why you little…"

"Gary!" His girlfriend stared at him, shocked. "Don't you even _think_ about it! If you harm one hair on this precious little guy's head, we are through!"

He wilted under her scorn. "Oh, c'mon baby! I was just kidding, I swear!" She glared at him angrily before turning on her heel and storming off through the crowd. He shot one last look at Trunks before following after her, calling out that he was only kidding.

Trunks shrugged. "Who's next?"

Videl laughed. They had quite the racket going for themselves. After the first failure, other guys stepped up to try and hit Goten with the spongy little nerf balls. She watched, leaning against a nearby picnic table, as each ball thrown missed its target. Some left steaming, with their girlfriends trying to calm them down. Others only laughed and leaned over to high-five the little jackalope.

A few girls tried as well. The lobbed the balls at Goten, trying to persuade him to let them win. He only smiled, saying that he was supposed to be fair about this. They just coo'ed a little more.

Videl rolled her eyes. They totally weren't allowed to do this. Someone had to break their winning streak. She strolled up to Trunks and slapped a zenni on the counter.

"I'll give it a shot."

"Videl!" Goten burst out. He bounced up to the counter and gave her a hug around the neck. "You came to see me!"

"Course I did!" Videl grinned. Some of the other girls behind her scowled, but then, realizing she was Videl Satan, relaxed and nodded.

Trunks looked from Videl to Goten and back. "Goten, who's this lady?"

"Trunks, this is Videl! She's one of Gohan's friends from school." He looked at Videl, eyes full of stars. "She's a superhero!"

Videl laughed. "I fight crime." She said as a way of explanation.

Trunks raised his eyebrows. "Oh. Cool. I didn't think Gohan made any friends."

Videl shot him a look. He shrugged and offered her the basket. "Give it a try?"

"Sure, Trunks, but I have a proposition." She leaned over to him, eyes flashing. "If I win, you give back all those prizes to the vendors and I won't tell your parents what you've been up to."

Trunks scowled. He looked over to Goten. "You sure she's a good guy?"

"Sure I'm sure." Goten giggled. "She just caught us first is all."

Trunks sighed. He looked at Videl and nodded. "Okay. If you win, we'll give it up." He grinned deviously. "But that's only if you win."

Videl smiled back just as deviously. "Don't worry, I intend to."

Trunks smirked then frowned. He looked back at Goten. "Don't get hit on purpose just because she's your friend."

"Okay Trunks." Goten settled in his ready position. "I'm ready when you are Videl!"

Videl took the first of her nerf balls. It was light and spongy to the touch. She pulled her arm back and threw the ball, snapping her wrist to the right as she did so. The ball spun in the air as it flew toward Goten. A right and nicely executed curve-ball.

Goten dodged it.

Videl frowned. She thought that might've worked. She wound up and pitched a fastball. It shot directly towards Goten's belly.

Like the other, Goten swayed out of the way.

How much did Gohan teach this kid? Like Goten had learned the art of dodging when he was 3 or something! She scowled and brought the third ball up to eye level.

Suddenly she pointed off to the right. "Look out! Your mom's coming!"

Both boys stiffened and looked off to the right, eyes wide in panic. Videl threw her ball as hard as she could, sending it zipping through the air, catching Goten off guard.

It bounced off the back of the stand, missing Goten by a hairsbreadth.

"Shoot!" Videl exclaimed, snapping her fingers.

Goten frowned, watching the ball roll away. "Hey! That was a dirty trick Videl!"

"Good thing she missed though." Trunks said wryly. "We won't fall for a trick like that again, right Goten?"

Goten nodded, face full of determination.

Videl scowled at the basket of nerf balls. She pulled out another zenni. "Round two!"

Trunks smiled, knowing she was hooked. He took her money and handed her another three balls. The second round went almost exactly like the first. The three balls harmlessly smacking the wall just past Goten. She was about to start another round when a hand landed heavily on her shoulder. A murmur went through the small crowd at her back.

"So this is what you were up to."

Videl looked behind her. She sucked in a breath as she recognized the object of her desire and anxiety. He wasn't wearing his school uniform or his gi. Dressed in jeans and a slightly formfitting, black, long sleeved T, he looked every inch the air of cool confidence he was exuding.

Trunks's face went white. He tore off the mustache and hat, hiding them behind his back guiltily. He swallowed.

"Hey Gohan."

* * *

Gohan finally found them. It had been a long search, apologizing and paying for every destroyed game he'd come across. It had taken every ounce of his willpower not keep from beating each and every one of those games. The people calling to him, telling him to accept the challenges. It made his blood run hot. It also kept him from finding them so quickly.

When he finally discovered their whereabouts, they'd set up their own game. Gohan wondered what happened to the previous vendor. Hopefully he wasn't tied up and stashed somewhere too small. He was a little surprised to see Videl there, but hey, she'd been following the mischief as a good cop would. Now, as he stood in front of the game, he glanced from one miscreant to the other. Weighing his options.

The teen saiyan pulled a zenni from his pocket and tossed it casually onto the counter. "Mind if I give it a shot?"

Trunks gulped, glancing back to Goten. The little boy just shrugged. They knew how this would play out. The lavender haired boy looked up at Goten's brother. "Okay, but you only get one. And… you play by Videl's rules. If you miss, you leave us alone!"

Gohan smirked. "Alright. I agree to your terms." He looked to his brother. "You ready squirt?"

Goten nodded, eyes wide.

Gohan pulled his arm back and let fly the lone nerf ball. Videl's eyes grew large as the ball seemed to shimmer, nearly vanishing from Gohan's hand.

"Oof!" Goten fell back on his rump, rubbing his head ruefully. "You didn't have to throw it _that_ hard, big brother!"

Gohan shrugged. "You'd have dodged it otherwise."

Videl stared aghast at the teen. Gohan ignored her for the moment in favor of stopping the run aways.

Trunks let out a groan as Gohan snagged the back of his collar. "Ugh, we were doing so _good_! Why do you have to ruin all our fun?!" He tossed away his disguise. "Stupid, goody-two shoes."

He held the young saiyan up at eye level. "Where's the vendor?"

Trunks looked away guiltily. "He's in the restroom."

"Trunks."

Trunks met Gohan's eyes and looked down, shamefaced. "Alright, jeez. We put him up in the elm tree."

Gohan set Trunks down on the counter. "Go get him." Trunks darted away and he turned to Goten. "You need to give back all the stuffed animals."

"B-but, big brother!" Goten said. "We won those all, fair and square!"

Gohan sighed. "Yeah, but you're only supposed to take _one_. Not loot the whole place!"

Goten tilted his head to the side. "Oh." He'd never really considered that.

They brought the vendor back and Gohan cut the poor guy loose. He was rightfully angry with the boys, hollering and flailing his arms about in indignation. Goten and Trunks merely studied their shoes during it all. He was only mollified when they returned the money they had collected and had all the stuffed animals replaced. He then went back in his booth to assess the damages.

Gohan ran a hand through his hair. "You two really made a mess of things."

"Sorry Gohan."

"Sorry Big Brother."

Gohan eyed the mischievous pair. While he was still upset with the boys, his glare softened. Had he been in their place, playing rigged games with his unstable ki, things would have been much worse. He sighed. "Listen. If you two promise to behave yourselves for the rest of today, I won't tell mom." Trunks looked up at him hopefully. "Or Bulma."

The duo nodded furiously. Gohan smiled. "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream."

Goten let out a little yelp of happiness. Trunks nodded, muttering something to the effect of "I knew you weren't all bad". Ice cream is the way to soothe troubled saiyans. The trio headed off to get that delicious frozen treat when a polite cough sounded from behind them.

Gohan turned to lock eyes with one blue eyed crime fighter.

He winced. "Oh, hey Videl."

* * *

Goten and Trunks sat together licking their triple scoop ice cream cones and watching the drama that was playing out on the other side of the table.

Videl stared disbelievingly at Gohan. "You're serious."

"Completely!" Gohan stared back unabashedly. "I had to leave because my dad came back."

"You said he was dead."

"He _is_ dead! The head guy in the afterlife let him come back for a day."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Heaven isn't like prison, Gohan. They don't let people out on probation for good behavior."

"I'm telling you, that's what happened!"

"Look," Videl folded her arms across her chest, "I get that you might not want to tell me this secret of yours right away. That's just fine. I figured that since we just got back on good terms I'd disregard it for now. Figured you'd tell me when you're ready." She shook her head in disappointment. "I didn't expect you to lie about bailing on me."

"I'm not lying to you!" Gohan grit his teeth in frustration. "Why would I lie? It's the truth!"

"Well, sorry if I don't believe you! Your father came back from the dead… That's impossible! What do you take me for? It's just a lame excuse you cooked up on the fly so you wouldn't have to explain why you ran out on me!"

"I'm not taking you for anything! Dad was allowed to come back from the dead for a day." He turned to the boys. "Tell her I'm right guys! Goten, tell her that dad came back today!"

"He's right." Goten nodded, licking his ice cream. "Dad came back today."

"You even got your little brother to lie to me?" She shook her head. "That's a new level of low for you."

"You… YOU!" Gohan clenched his fists and stood up. He started pacing angrily. "You just… Yes, I was trying to tell you something important last night! I still want to tell you and I am still GOING to tell you, but I had to go because _my dad came back_!" He threw his hands in the air. "I haven't seen my dad in 7 years! What did you expect me to do?!"

"I expect you to tell me the truth!"

"I AM!" He shouted, a white aura shimmering faintly in the air around him.

Goten and Trunks swapped a look. Trunks spoke up. "Hey, Gohan? You should chill."

Gohan's fierce glare caused Trunks to wince a little. Gohan took a deep breath and slowly, painfully shoved his power back down. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, watching Gohan concentrate.

After a moment he relaxed. "Thanks Trunks." The little boy nodded and Gohan turned back to Videl. "I swear I'm telling you the truth."

Videl frowned. He was far too adamant about this. "Look, you give me some proof and I'll consider believing you."

"Oh! That's easy then!" Goten piped up. He wiped leftover ice cream from his mouth and hopped down from the bench. "We'll go get dad! You've got to meet him anyway. He's SO COOL!"

"Not as cool as my dad." Muttered Trunks as he got up to follow his best friend.

Videl's eyes narrowed. "Wait, he's here?"

"I told you he came back from the dead for a day." Gohan rolled his eyes. "He came with us to the carnival."

"… You're really serious about this?"

"From the beginning."

"Huh." She got up to walk with him back through the carnival, following the two terrors. The idea, as impossible as it was to have someone come back from the dead, seemed less impossible hearing it come from a voice of unshakable confidence. However, Videl stuck to her guns. She'd still need that proof before she went on believing some wild claim about undead daddies.

Still, walking beside him like this, through the crowd, was nice. They didn't say much due to ruffled feathers on either side, but it was still nice. They made small talk about different carnival games as they walked.

"So, how're we supposed to find him in all these people?" Videl looked around. "I think I'd recognize the famous Son Goku anywhere, but with this many people, it'll be hard to even spot him!"

Gohan shrugged. "No worries. I can sense him. We just have to head towards his ki signature."

"His what now?"

The saiyan teen sighed. "Remember what I told you about ki? How every living thing has a measure of it?"

"Yeah?"

"Well some people have stronger ki than others. I can tell where they are by looking for it."

"Right."

"I'm serious!" Gohan massaged the bridge of his nose. "Why don't you believe me?"

"How can I believe you when you're still keeping secrets from me?"

"Do you have to know everyone's dirty laundry before you trust them?"

Videl scowled. "I've learned that it's the dirty laundry that I'll regret not knowing about. I'd rather know about it off the bat."

"Even if it may hurt you?" He asked. She hesitated, but nodded and he sighed. "Alright. Okay. I promise I'll tell you. Just… let me introduce you to Dad first alright?"

Videl scowled. "Fine." She refused to look at him any more as they walked. "Whatever floats your mentally unstable little boat."

"Videl…"

"GOHAN!"

The teens whipped their heads around to see Goten bouncing over to meet them. "Gohan! I found Dad!" He grabbed hold of Videl's hand and pulled her after him. "C'mon Videl! You gotta meet him!"

Videl was helplessly dragged away from Gohan. The saiyan teen scowled and followed them sullenly. Why didn't she believe him? If things kept up like this, bad times were sure to come.

The trio turned a corner and made their way down the path to a funnel cake stand. They came to a halt in front of a tall man with spiky black hair in an orange gi. He had powdered sugar across his mouth, but Videl was awed to recognize him.

Son Goku.

* * *

**A/N**: Ugh. This was a pain to write. I am SO friggin' excited for the next few chapters that I can't stand to write this slow stuff. I look forward to the action… the drama… the lovely scones in the fridge…  
Anyhow, people have been asking if I plan to continue this into the Buu saga. I never really planned to, though it might be interesting to do so. I'll give it some thought, but no promises. Originally this fic wasn't supposed to last more than a few chapters. It morphed into something I did not expect but am happy with nonetheless.

MERRY CHRISTMASHANNUKAKWANZANEWYEAR!  
AND NOW…  
BY POPULAR DEMAND…

**~Piccolo discovers the impracticality of capes.~**

Piccolo stood above the vast expanse of jagged white ice. His stance was unmoving. His mind focused against the cold. His gaze put the barren wilderness to shame with its icy glare. He reveled in his power, standing firm against the bleakness of the northern wasteland. Nature could not move him, the ice ever shifting and breaking did not daunt him. He was the mighty Piccolo! Ancient evil from the beginning of time, re-birthed into this day and age to-

Piccolo's thoughts were smothered by his cape. He pushed it behind him irately. He scowled into the wind and resumed his internal monologue.

The mighty Piccolo! The ancient evil from the beginning of time, re-birthed into this day to reign in glory like his father before him! Existing to instill fear in the hearts of all who live on-

The wind shifted and Piccolo got a face full of cape. His yells were muffled as he wrestled with the white cloth. He spun around and faced into the wind, trying to get the cape to flutter behind him again.

He frowned at the vast expanse of ice. So boring.

_Train_, he chided himself. The namekian lifted into the air and started into a warm up kata. He was pretty far into it when the wind shifted again, tangling his legs in the stretches of white fabric.

He let out a foreign curse and kicked his way out of the material. Glaring angrily at the horizon, Piccolo decided to head back to warmer climates where the wind was not so fearsome. Not because it bothered him. He just thought it'd be better to train in the desert.

_*days later*_

Piccolo swore as his cape caught on _another_ cactus. Sweat dripped down his green skin as he struggled with the offending garment. He flung it behind him just as another eddy of wind whipped around his legs.

For a moment, he looked regal. His cape fluttering behind him, his stance angry and defiant. It was bearable, but then the wind changed again.

He sighed in frustration, disentangling the cape from around his neck for the millionth time. The desert was not a good place to train. Seething inwardly, he decided to make tracks for the forest. Specifically, to where Goku lived. Perhaps training with his rival would be a better alternative to the desert.

_*days later*_

"Gaaak!" Piccolo let out a strangled sound as Goku yanked him down by his cape. He hit the ground with a loud thud, rubbing his sore throat.

"Geez Piccolo, why do you wear this thing anyways?" Goku held up the material. "It seems like more of a pain than a training tool."

Piccolo snorted, snatching the cape back from Goku. "It's a symbol of royalty." He said, but his voice didn't sound at all convincing.

"Oh. You mean like your dad's?" Goku scratched his head. "But King Piccolo didn't wear one all the time." Piccolo scowled, but Goku continued unabashed. "And if it's a symbol of royalty, how come Vegeta doesn't wear one? He's always going on about being the prince of something or other."

The namekian scowled. "Forget it Goku." He got to his feet and stormed off. Cape flapping in a not-so-royal manner. Goku watched him leave, shrugged, and headed back home.

Piccolo stomped angrily through the forest, pausing every few yards to untangle his cape from a bramble bush or branch. Each time it caught on something, his ire against it grew.

Finally, after the umpteenth time it caught on something, he ripped it off his shoulders and threw the impractical garment away.

"Stupid cape!" He scowled angrily at the white cloth before turning on his heel and stomping off to his customary waterfall. He settled into a lotus position and angrily meditated.

_*hours later*_

"Mr. Piccolo! Mr. Piccolo!"

The tall green warrior cracked an eye open. Little Gohan stood there, holding that obnoxious cape. He grunted in acknowledgement, but shut his eyes and continued his meditation.

"You dropped this, Mr. Piccolo!"

"Leave it where you found it. I don't want it."

"Don't want it?" Gohan looked from the cape to Piccolo and back again. "But it's so cool!"

Piccolo opened his eyes. The little boy was looking up at him in open admiration. "Cool?"

"Yeah!" Gohan pulled out a smaller length of fabric. It was a deep blue color and was slightly frayed around the edges. He pulled it around his shoulders and grinned brightly. "I made my own, see?"

Piccolo was flabbergasted. "You… like the cape?"

"It's awesome! I want one just like it someday!" Gohan nodded his head adamantly. "But don't tell mom that I made this one. She'll get mad that I cut up my sheets." He ran around the clearing, the homemade cape flowing behind him.

Piccolo stared at the white cape on the ground. He unfolded from the lotus position and reached down to pick it up. The weighted cloth rested heavily in his hand. He looked from Gohan to the cape and back. With great solemnity, he whirled it around in a large arc before placing it on his shoulders. It cascaded down his back regally. Gohan stared up at him with eyes full of stars.

Piccolo smiled and placing a hand on Gohan's head, ruffled the black hair fondly. "Thanks kid." He stood back and assessed the boy. "But you're going to need more training if you want to wear one."

Gohan nodded and settled into an imitation of Piccolo's fighting pose. "I'm ready Mr. Piccolo!"

_*days later*_

Goku looked up from his lunch. "Hey Piccolo! I thought you ditched the cape."

Piccolo smirked down at his rival. His white cape billowed out behind him in the sudden breeze. He shook his head and spoke simply.

"Capes are cool."

**~ENDE~**

**A/N**: Awww! HURRAH FOR GOHAN!  
Seriously. He's really young to be fighting interstellar baddies. He was… 4 or something when Raditz attacked?

READING AND REVIEWING PLEASE ME. Thanks for all the kind words you guys have been sending my way! I appreciate it so much!


	24. The Truth

**DISCLAIMER**: A million times no. NOTHING OWN'D. :P

Ch. 24: The Truth

* * *

"Daddy daddy!" Goten pulled on Goku's pant leg. "This is my friend Videl!"

"Videl?" Goku swallowed a mouthful of funnel cake and smiled. "Oh! Videl! I've heard about you!" He held out his hand. "I'm Goku. Nice to meet you!"

Videl was wide eyed as she took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you..." she repeated weakly.

"Videl! Good to see you!" Chichi came over, bearing another funnel cake that Goku quickly snatched from her. Chichi grinned at her husband. "How are you doing?"

"Hello." Videl said, still shocked. "I'm… he's… what…"

Chichi nodded sagely. "I know it's a bit of a shock, but he's here in the flesh." She poked him in the shoulder. "My husband is back from the dead."

"But… but HOW!?"

"Well he's saved the world on numerous occasions…" Chichi folded her arms. "I guess they let him come back on good behavior."

Videl's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"I told you Videl." Gohan said from behind her. He pointed above Goku's head. "See the halo? He's still dead."

Videl's eyes drifted up to the halo floating serenely above Goku's head. "Huh." She said weakly. "I… uh… I think I need to sit down now."

Gohan chuckled as he led her to a nearby bench. _I told you so!_ He thought triumphantly. _Chalk one up for Gohan!_ He paused. _Wait… Not a competition. NOT a competition._ He took a deep breath and plopped down on the bench beside Videl.

The blue eyed girl sat unmoving for a few minutes. This was hard to believe even with the proof right in front of her eyes. She let out a dry chuckle. "I guess I believe you now." She said wryly. "Sorry Gohan. It just seemed too extraordinary to believe."

"It's not that extraordinary." Gohan muttered. "You are talking to a superhero after all."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Come on Gohan! Normal people don't come back from the dead! You've gotta take any claims like that with a healthy dose of skepticism."

"I guess…"

"Oh stop pouting." She leaned back, looking at the tall man in the orange gi. "So that's your dad, huh?" Goku was piling more funnel cakes into his mouth. The owner of the stand looked amazed, but continued to make the cakes. And Goku continued to eat them without signs of stopping. Videl grinned. "I can see the family resemblance."

"Yeah." Gohan gave her a small smile. "That's my dad."

"Cool." She glanced at the people surrounding Goku and felt her jaw drop. "Oh my Kami. Is that Yamucha?! The famous fighter turned baseball player?!"

"Yep."

"And and and is that Tien Shinhan?" She squealed slightly. "You know Tien Shinhan, THE Tien Shinhan, and never told me?!" She punched him a little harder on the shoulder. "What a jerk!"

His smile got a little bigger. "You probably wouldn't have believed me."

"Probably not." She pointed over at his family again. "And is that Krillin?! Sweet Kami that's Krillin! You know how he's placed in the top in almost all the WMATs? He's got hair now! OH! There's the famous Turtle hermit too! And and… Bulma Briefs!?" Her eyes got wide. "YOU KNOW BULMA BRIEFS?!"

"Ah… yes?" Gohan tilted his head at Videl. "She's my godmother."

"Abuh…" Videl directed her wide eyes to Gohan. "You… She's your…"

Gohan chuckled. "How else do you think I got the cool Saiyaman disguise?"

She pointed further at the crowd. "You know all those people?! They're SUPER FAMOUS!"

"Well, they're just friends of my dad's. I never really thought of them as being famous." Gohan said. _I want to introduce her… Hopefully they won't spill the beans. _He shrugged, smiling brightly. "You want to meet them?"

Videl shot bolt upright. "You'd… introduce me?!"

"Well yeah." He shrugged. "You're my friend, aren't you?"

Videl stared at him. She broke out in a huge smile and leaped from her seat to hug him tightly around the neck. "Thank you!" She broke away and started off towards the group. She called after him, "C'mon Gohan!"

Dumbfounded, Gohan didn't know what to do. As he watched Videl stroll happily over to his family and friends, a lopsided grin spread slowly across his face. He got to his feet and followed her. He missed the sly look that passed between Bulma and Chichi.

Mostly because Videl started having a conniption.

"MAJUNIOR?!" Her voice filled with panic. She shouted, "YOU'RE THE DEMON KING! GOHAN THE DEMON KING IS HANGING OUT WITH YOUR DAD!"

Gohan winced, noticing that Piccolo's irritation. "Yeah, he's been my mentor since I was little. He's really mellowed out since the WMAT. No offense Mr. Piccolo."

"Don't worry kid." Piccolo's frown turned into an amused smile. "I only 'mellowed out' since I figured there was no good way to kill Goku."

Videl stared at him. "What."

"Guys, this is my friend Videl." Gohan said cautiously, trying to divert the conversation.

Bulma extended her hand to Videl and smiled winningly. "Nice to meet you Videl. I'm Bulma. The grumpy guy across the table is my husband, Vegeta."

Videl shook her hand, wide eyed. She glanced over at Vegeta who pointedly ignored her. He was reluctantly sitting with a few other members of the group at a nearby picnic table, stewing in his own thoughts. Videl turned to him with a sudden realization.

She lifted a finger. "You're… you're that guy! The guy who leveled a city!"

The saiyan prince finally noticed her. He smirked. "Well well, someone on this filthy mudball remembers me." He shot a hostile glare at Bulma. "You should be careful how you address me woman. I am libel to destroy more of your precious home world."

"Ahuh. Sure." Bulma rolled her eyes. "I'll address you as lord and master as soon as you beat Goku. Like that'll ever happen. Heck, even Gohan's got you one-upped. You couldn't destroy a daisy on earth without getting your butt whooped."

"INSOLENT WENCH!" Vegeta spun around, eyes blazing with fury. "KAKKAROT! Fight me!"

Goku looked up from his funnel cakes. "Whuh? Righ 'ow Geeta?" He swallowed his mouthful. "You wanna fight now?"

"Fight me, or I'll burn this carnival to the ground!" Power glowed from his hands. "FIGHT ME!"

Goku held up his hands. "Okay okay. Sheesh." He turned to Chichi, snagging a few funnel cakes from her plate. "I'm gonna go spar with Vegeta. Be right back!"

"I swear he'll be back in PIECES!" Vegeta hollered, getting angrier by the second.

He waved to everyone. "See you in a few!" The two men lifted into the air. The sound of Goku complaining was clearly heard as they flew away. "Geez Vegeta. Couldn't this wait? I still had funnel cakes to eat."

The group watched the specks vanish into the distance. The blue haired genius turned to Krillin. "Alright, pay up.

Krillin sighed and held out 5 zenni. "That took a lot longer than I thought."

"You forget that I'm his wife." Bulma smirked, taking the cash. "He's like putty in my hands."

"Sure, if putty is 180 pounds of angry saiyan…" Krillin trailed off. He looked past Videl to Gohan. The saiyan teen was waving his arms around in 'no' gestures. He coughed. "I'm just _sayin'_ that he's a little more than one of us could handle."

Videl gaped at them. "Wha… you… and they…"

Gohan hastily interrupted her stuttering. "Videl, uh, would you like some funnel cake?" He flipped open his wallet. "My treat."

Videl nodded numbly and sank onto the bench. Gohan skittered off to the funnel cake stand, leaving her alone with his family and friends.

Bulma nodded at Videl sympathetically. "Don't stress out about it Videl. It takes some getting used to. Trust me. When I first met Goku, all this sort of stuff seemed insane."

"Insane…" Videl looked at her in wonder. "And you married that guy?"

"Yeah well…" Bulma sighed, "I guess I got a little insanity in me too."

"Love makes you do crazy things." Krillin agreed. He grinned over the table at Videl. "I'm Krillin by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Videl smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know Gohan knew so many famous people."

"Oh me and Gohan go way back." Krillin smirked. "I was around when he was born! Heck, I'm his Godfather ya know!"

"So… you guys know that he's Saiyaman?"

Krillin looked at her blankly. "Saiya-what-now?"

"Oh, you know," Bulma interrupted hastily, "that superhero bit he does here in Satan City."

"Oh! Right right." Krillin cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I know about that, but I didn't know Gohan had such a pretty girlfriend." He winked at Videl.

Videl turned bright red. "Oh! We're not… I mean, he's not my…" She stammered.

"Sure he's not." A scar faced man sat beside down beside Krillin, giving her a sly look. "I mean a guy like that has probably got a ton of choices, right?"

_Wh-what? Tons of choices?! _Videl got even redder. She'd never considered that. Did other girls like him? Heck if more girls knew about the physique that Gohan was hiding…

"Gimme a break!" Krillin grinned. "Gohan would probably run for his life if a group of girls came after him. He's not a player like you are Yamucha."

"I dunno Krillin." Yamucha smirked at Videl. "I think she's head over heels for him."

Videl was stammering something along the lines of a no when Gohan came to her rescue. "Guys, quit picking on Videl would you?" He said irritably, holding out a funnel cake to Videl. "We're just friends." He added, glaring at Yamucha pointedly.

Yamucha shot him a skeptical look. "Ahuh. So, how did you get to know Mr. shy and nerdy?"

Gohan groaned aloud and Videl caught the wink passed from Yamucha to Krillin. She grinned. "Oh, you know. Catching him with his pants down."

He gaped at her. "WHAT?"

"Gohan you _dog_!" Yamucha guffawed.

Oolong thumped him on the back. "Didn't know you had it in ya!"

Chichi shot him a death glare. "You did what now?!"

"Mom! I didn't!" The poor half saiyan countered indignantly. "I never would!"

"Oh yeah? I heard all about it from Angela."

Gohan went pale. His head hit the table and Yamucha grinned widely. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah! Or do you guys not know he wears teddy bear underpants?"

Gohan was helpless to stop his face from burning as his friends and mentors laughed alongside his crush. Indignation burned inside him, making his unruly ki flare up. He took a few deep breaths. "You guys are the worst."

"Oh c'mon man! I haven't seen you in years! I've GOT to have a little bit of fun with you." Yamucha chuckled. "Seriously, how've you been?"

"Uh…" Gohan glanced over at Videl. Krillin caught the look, but Yamucha remained oblivious.

"I mean, I haven't seen you since the cell games!"

Videl perked up. "Cell games?"

Gohan waved his hands back and forth wildly from behind Videl. Hinting as hard as he possibly could at Yamucha.

"Oh yeah. That's the last time I saw Goku or Gohan. Back when we were fighting Cell."

Gohan smacked his forehead. So much for subtlety.

"You were at the cell games?"

"Well yeah. Course I left the butt kicking up to Go-" A sharp elbow from Krillin silenced the former martial artist.

"Wha-"

"He meant that he left it up," the former monk picked up where the wheezing Yamucha left off, "to the professionals." He looked around. "Speaking of which, I haven't heard from the champ yet. Isn't he supposed to give a speech or something?"

"I… think so." Videl eyed Krillin suspiciously. That was a topic dodge if she ever heard one. Well, martial arts professional or not, no one could pull wool over Videl's eyes so easily. "Speaking of the games, weren't you there personally Krillin?"

Krillin paused. He cleared his throat. "Ah… yeah. I was there. How'd you know?"

Videl's eyes narrowed. The same stare that she used on Gohan was now pointed like a laser at Krillin. "I'm guessing you saw my dad beat cell?"

"Ah…" Krillin started to sweat. Gohan flailed about silently behind Videl. "Y-you're Hercule's daughter? I never would have guessed!" Videl kept staring at him. Krillin's eyes darted to Tien. "Aheh… W-well, Tien was there too ya know."

All three of Tien's eyes went wide. "Yes. We… we saw cell's defeat." He regained a little of his composure. He managed to meet Videl's gaze unwaveringly. "We also witnessed your father's involvement."

"His _involvement_?"

"Yes." Tien replied. Videl hit him with the detective stare, but Tien didn't say any more. Behind her, Gohan and Krillin sighed in relief.

Videl whirled on them. "I heard that!" They both flinched. "What aren't you telling me?!"

They remained silent. It was their only defense against the onslaught.

Videl let out an irritated huff. She turned to the tall green man. "Mr. Demon King, you were there too right?"

Piccolo looked at her. "What makes you say that?"

"I've seen the footage! You were there!"

Gohan's heart stopped momentarily as his mentor nodded, a look of amusement on his face. "That's right." Piccolo said. "What about it?"

"You know those gold fighters then right?"

Piccolo nodded. Gohan's heart, had it been completely human, would've gone into cardiac arrest at this point. Thinking quickly, he searched the crowd for something, _anything_ that would distract Videl from this line of thought.

"You know them? Like… personally?"

"They are friends of mine, yes."

"Who exactly are-"

"ERASA! SHARPNER! OVER HERE!" Gohan interrupted with a loud shout. Videl turned her attention from Piccolo to the two blondes jogging towards them. The collective group of humans/demi-saiyans sighed in relief. Except Yamucha. He was still a little confused.

"Gohan! Videl!" Sharpner greeted them very cheerily. "Where've ya been? We were looking for you everywhere! Way to ditch us like that by the way Videl."

"Yeah. Miss Jerkface." Erasa beamed at her.

Videl looked from Erasa to Sharpner and back. She made a face. "Please don't tell me you were making out the entire time I've been gone."

Both blondes turned a nice shade of red. Erasa slapped her friend gently on the shoulder. "How, like, totally rude! Of course we didn't make out the entire time!" She leaned in, grinning. She whispered, "Just most of the time."

Videl let out a groan. "Erasa, I totally didn't need to know."

Erasa giggled. Her eyes drifted to the crowd around Videl and her mouth dropped open in shock. Sharpner, slightly puzzled at Erasa's sudden change of mood, looked at her worriedly. "Hey babe, something wrong?"

"It's… It's…"

"It's what?"

"BULMA BRIEFS!" She shrieked. All the demi-saiyans slapped hands over their ears as she squealed, "OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH you are THE Bulma Briefs! OHMYGOSH you are like, the coolest EVER! Can I like, TOTALLY get an autograph?!"

Bulma chuckled at the star-struck young lady. "Sure."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

This time, most of the humans slapped their hands over their ears. "Jeez, Erasa. It's not that big a deal." Sharpner complained. The noise was hard on his ears too. He glanced over at Gohan and shrugged an apology. As he did so, his eyes happened upon another person of great renown.

Yamucha.

"OH. MY. KAMI." Sharpner's jaw dropped. "You're… YOU'RE… !"

"Yamucha the bandit." Yamucha held out his hand. He grinned at his obvious fan. "Nice to meetcha."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Videl covered her ears. "Sharpner!"

He shot her an apologetic smile before babbling away to his hero. Eventually the harsh sounds died away and everyone was laughing once again. Gohan was mentally cheering. His friends had met his family and mentors. _Crisis averted._ He shot a glance at the happy Videl and sobered. _For now._ He knew this would come back to bite him.

His thoughts were interrupted by another shriek.

"FRIGGITY FRACK THAT'S THE DEMON KING!"

* * *

"And then he just walked away. It's like he didn't even care that he had a hole the size of east city in his pants!"

The group burst into laughter. Oolong wiped tears from his eyes. "That story gets worse every time you tell it."

"It was just that life scarring." Krillin shuddered. "Nobody wants to see that."

Erasa giggled. "I can't believe he didn't notice!"

"Right? You should at least feel the breeze or something like that!" Videl laughed.

They'd been chatting amicably for a while now. The general levity in the air helped to take the edge off of Gohan's nervousness, even though his ki still buzzed in his mind like a nest of angry bees.

"I still can't believe you know all these people." Sharpner said, bringing the saiyan teen back to the conversation. "You seemed like too much of a bookworm when I met you."

Gohan grinned. "Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Way to be cliché." Videl snorted.

Sharpner elbowed Gohan good naturedly. "So what else don't we know about you?"

"Yeah!" Erasa leaned in, eyes sparkling. "Like… are you some secret heir to a wealthy kingdom or something?"

"Prince Gohan?" Videl laughed. "You sure about that Erasa?"

"You never know!" The bubbly blonde sighed dramatically. "He might just be a prince!" She ignored Videl's blatant disbelief and went on. "Just think, shy, quiet Gohan secretly has a country to run and will never find a girlfriend because of his country's strict rules! Then he falls for a commoner and gives up his entire heritage for love! Oh how romantic!"

"Pfff," Sharpner scoffed, "as if."

"It's completely plausible!"

"Maybe in an alternate universe."

"Yeah well…" Gohan squirmed uncomfortably in his seat on the bench. "About that…"

The teens grew silent, staring at Gohan. He coughed into his fist and mumbled something unintelligible.

Krillin snickered. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"

"Uh… nothing." He shot a pleading look at Bulma.

"Don't look at me." Bulma said with a smile. "You didn't outright deny it."

"How could I with you guys sitting right there?!"

Videl's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Our little Gohan is of royal descent." Krillin grinned at the half-saiyan's discomfort. "Chichi is the Ox King's daughter. Makes him Crown prince."

The three friends stared at Gohan in shock. Videl seemed the least surprised, having seen quite a few unbelievable things today. Sharpner's jaw almost touched the ground. Erasa's eyes were wide. "I was like, kidding."

"No joke." Chichi walked past casually as if she hadn't been listening to the whole conversation. "He's the legitimate heir to the throne. He doesn't seem to want it though goodness knows he's ready for it."

"Moooooooooom." Gohan groaned, burying his head in his arms. "Don't make it worse than it already is."

"Are you serious?" Videl laughed half jokingly. "First a superhero, then a prince! Gohan, who the heck _are_ you?"

_Good question._ Gohan thought sullenly, mood soured. _I'll let you know when I figure that one out._

Erasa snapped out of her funk. She leveled a fierce glare at Gohan. Her voice, normally full of bubbles, was serious. "Did you tell her yet?!"

_Crap. _Gohan grimaced. "I've been a little busy if you couldn't tell." He hadn't gotten the chance to psych himself up for it. Not to mention keeping his power under control took enough effort as it was.

Videl looked at her friends. She scowled. "Tell me _what_? Seriously, I feel like I'm being strung along here or something."

"Tell me about it!" Erasa thumped the table with her palms. "Just… Do your thing! You know! Show her!"

"Are you kidding? In this crowd?" Gohan scoffed. "I'm not going to tell _everyone_."

"Why I oughta…."

Sharpner reached an arm across Erasa shoulders, trying to calm her down. "How about we all go somewhere more private?" He glanced over his shoulder. "The lines have gone down for some of the rides. Why don't we enjoy ourselves and talk about it then?"

Gohan nodded, seeing the wisdom of his blonde friend. "Sounds good."

Erasa and Videl shared unimpressed looks. "Alright," Erasa put her finger in his face, "but you better deliver." And with that, she started away from the picnic table. Videl shot him an impatient look before getting up and following her best friend.

Sharpner sighed. "That was close. Erasa looked like she was about to kick your butt." He didn't get up to follow them. Instead, he leaned forward, concerned. "Hey man, I wanted to ask you if you were doing okay. Last time I saw you, you were…"

_Ah… right… that thing at school… _The dark eyed teen looked back at him guiltily. "Yeah… Sorry. You guys shouldn't have had to deal with that."

"Hey, it was no problem man. Just… are you alright?"

"No. Not really." Gohan ran a hand through his dark spikes of hair. "Things got really bad. I… I don't want to talk about it right now. I'll tell you later."

The muscular blonde frowned, but nodded. "No worries man. Is there anything I can do?"

Gohan shrugged tiredly. "I'm not sure of what you _can_ do. Hopefully I'll work it out but… I don't know."

Bulma nodded in Gohan's direction. "Hopefully your dad will be able to help you with that."

The saiyan teen managed a weak smile. "Yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Enough about that!" Krillin said suddenly. "What's up with you and Hercule's daughter?"

Gohan's blush returned full force. The people gathered around him laughed as he spluttered out excuses.

"He's got it bad." Sharpner laughed with the rest of them. "I don't need Erasa to tell me that much."

Bulma patted his shoulder gently. "No worries Gohan. We've all been there at one time or another. Remember how Krillin fell for Eighteen?"

"Yeah!" Yamucha laughed. "We all thought she was out of his league!"

Krillin stuck out his tongue at Yamucha. "At least I didn't get upstaged by a short psychotic alien man!" (SPAM)

Bulma tried to smother her guffaws as Yamucha turned red in the face. Tien even cracked a smile. "He's got you there Yamucha."

Sharpner laughed along with them. "He must be pretty weird to be called an alien!"

Gohan smiled and shook his head. "You don't know the half of it."

Together the two teens got up and started off after the girls. The rest of the group sat together and chatted, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Piccolo stood silent vigil, monitoring his former student's energy.

Once Gohan was out of earshot, Yamucha looked seriously at Krillin. "I take it Gohan's really in over his head on this one."

"Yep. Secret identities, saiyan hormones, teenage drama, he's getting it all at once." Krillin filled him in. Took a little bit, but Yamucha got the whole thing.

The former bandit shook his head. "You mean she doesn't know any of this yet? Sheesh. That's gotta be rough."

Krillin sighed. "Tell me about it. Poor kid never seems to catch a break."

* * *

Waiting in line. It had to be on the same level of boredom as being in class. Gohan rolled his shoulders restlessly. Luckily everyone agreed to go on the roller coaster first. It was one of the dinky little ones that were pretty tame besides the initial hill, but frankly if anyone had suggested the carousel he might have had to leave. Bad enough he had to sit still on a ride.

Crappy carnival rides aside, Gohan wrestled with his internal dilemma. _How am I going to tell her? Should I just come out and say it? _Heglanced over at Videl. She was in conversation with Erasa, oblivious to his gaze. _Fat chance of that. I've got to be tactful. Smooth. Confident._

He stood up a little straighter, but the next thought caused him to slump. _Will she even believe me? Erasa said she'll be fine, but will she? After that mess with Saiyaman? _He shuffled forward as the line moved. _She'll ask me questions. She'll grill me over hot coals. I'll have to provide evidence for everything. _He sighed heavily. _She's going to ask about the cell games and I'll have to tell her the truth. I promised I would._

He took a deep breath and for once let his ki bolster his resolve. _I promised her the truth._ He'd tell her everything. Whether she believed it or not.

Though he really hoped she did.

The line dwindled until they were next for the rollercoaster. The clearly bored ride attendant opened the gate and ushered the small group into the car. Erasa claimed the seat next to Sharpner leaving Gohan to sit next to Videl. Normally he would've been stoked to sit next to her on a ride, but she was giving him that look again. He groaned mentally and climbed into the seat next to his crush.

*CRRSHHZZ* "Please keep your hands and arms inside the ride at all times. We at 'happy carnie thrills' are not liable for any lost/broken limbs etc." The bored attendant intoned. "Enjoy the ride."

Sharpner frowned. "Did he just say broken limbs?" He was ignored as the train lurched into motion and started up the first hill.

"Alright Gohan." Videl turned and gave him her full attention. "Talk."

He took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ He felt a hand land on his shoulder. Gohan turned to see Sharpner give him an encouraging smile. Gohan lifted his eyes to the sky and saw the familiar form of Piccolo floating high above him. He relaxed slightly. It's always good to know there were people who had your back. He turned back to Videl.

"Okay. Remember how I was telling you about the Gold Fighter last night?"

Videl nodded. "Yeah?"

"And how he's not who you think he is?"

"Yeah?" Videl folded her arms. "What's your point? Are you going to tell me who he is?"

Gohan gripped the safety bar in front of him. _Stay calm. Just stay calm._ "Yeah."

"Then tell me!"

Gohan ran his hand through his hair. "Kami why is this so hard?" Videl's eyes were focused on his face, making him very self conscious. "Okay. Promise me you won't freak out."

As the train reached the top of the hill, Videl's only response was to narrow her eyes.

"The truth is, I'm-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Videl spun around. "Erasa!"

Erasa looked at her friend apologetically. "Sorry Videl!" She hollered over the rushing wind. "That first drop always gets me!"

Videl huffed and turned back to Gohan. "You're what?"

"I'm-"

Gohan was interrupted by a whoop as they went down another hill. Videl shot Erasa a death glare. "Are you serious!?"

"I can't help it!" Erasa shouted. "I'm no good on roller coasters!"

* * *

The next few rides went the same way. They'd begin to talk, or Gohan would begin to explain, and something would happen that interrupted them. They tried riding the Zipper, the thing that flips you upside-down and round and round, but there was a lady in the car behind them that kept screaming bloody murder. They enjoyed the ride somewhat, but couldn't carry on a conversation for anything. They rode the bumper cars, but Gohan got a little too into it and couldn't really focus on a conversation. It was all he could do to not start flinging energy around. Both teens were immensely frustrated by the lack of communication. Eventually they tried the whirling teacups, but Sharpner got very sick. They had to stop the ride before anyone else got drenched in vomit.

Finally, fed up with it all, Videl grabbed Gohan by the arm, ditched Sharpner and Erasa, and pulled him into the Ferris wheel line. He looked at her, surprised.

"We're ditching them?"

"They won't care." She glanced back at the blonde couple. "Besides, Sharpner's in no state to ride anything else."

Gohan nodded. "Sorry about all this. I didn't think there'd be so much trouble."

"Yeah well…" Videl looked at him soberly. "At least we'll be alone."

The line was short enough that they were soon boarding the ride. They piled into the little two person car and began slowly moving in a large circle. Videl leaned back in the padded seat and sighed wearily. "Alright Gohan. Let's hear your big secret."

"Well…"

"And no beating around the bush this time alright? This ride only lasts a few minutes." He looked at her skeptically and she gave him a small smile. "No offense, but I don't think I can stand any more interruptions."

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. Though in his defense, Sharpner couldn't help it last time."

"Yeah…" She paused. "Gohan, I uh… before you start, I owe you an apology."

Gohan tilted his head to one side. "For what?"

"Well, I haven't been exactly nice to you about this. I mean, it's your choice whether to tell me anything. I really shouldn't have been so demanding of you. It's just that I've been so frustrated about the lack of answers that I wanted to…" Videl made little punching motions with her hands. She chuckled wryly and let her hands drop to her lap. "When I saw your dad today, it really made me think. You're my friend. Last thing I want to do is treat you like an enemy." She looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry Gohan."

He smiled softly and took her hands in his. "I forgive you Videl."

Videl nodded. A hot blush burned across her cheeks._ Keep it together girl._

He cleared his throat nervously. "Alright. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I swear it's the truth."

Videl pushed her fluttering emotions roughly out of the way. This was what she'd been waiting for! This was the culmination of all her efforts! It was finally about to pay off! No more stress over the dark eyed superhero! As Gohan took a breath to speak, Videl's mind paused. A distant part of her mind thought, _do I really want to know? Gohan is amazing on his own. Why do I need to know all his secrets?_ The thought zipped through her like a jolt of electricity. The response from her was instantaneous. _Because I want to know him. _

_Because I like him. _

She had only seconds to register the surge of emotions the thought evoked before she was shocked into mental silence. Gohan's voice echoed in her ears.

"I'm the Gold Fighter."

… _What?_

"What?"

Gohan's eyes hardened. "I'm the Gold Fighter." He repeated.

Videl's jaw worked soundlessly. She let go of his hands and scooted to the end of the seat. "You're…"

"Yeah." Gohan tensed, like he was ready to run away.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Videl was desperately trying to wrap her mind around the idea that Gohan could be the Gold Fighter. She stared sightlessly out at the carnival. The merry sounds of music and countless people faded in her ears.

_Could it be true? _Her mind raced. _Could he be Saiyaman _and_ the Gold Fighter? _She compared the two in her head. Tall and golden vs. tall and dark. Similar build, but distinct personalities. She glanced at the very worried looking Gohan. In her mind, it was like looking at night and day.

Gohan is the gold fighter?

…

_Nah. It couldn't be._ Her heart tightened in her chest._ It can't be that easy. He's lying to me again._ She scowled. "You're kidding me right? That's your big secret?"

Gohan flinched as if the words hit him physically. "No joke Videl," he said after a moment, "I'm really the same guy."

"Really."

"Really!" Gohan's face was pained. "Before I got my saiya-suit, I fought crime as the Gold Fighter. Then when I had problems with it later, I just became the Gold Fighter again! It was the only way to stay out of the public eye."

"And you got Sharpner and Erasa to believe you."

Disbelief and hurt filled his voice as he spoke. "You don't believe me? Even after all the impossible things you found out about today?"

Videl felt a twinge of guilt. "Look Gohan, I can't explain how your dad came back. Probably cuz he defeated the demon king or whatever." She folded her arms across her chest. "Thing is, I know you Gohan. You aren't the Gold Fighter. You're two completely different people. You know him, I know him, and frankly I don't care if you claim to be the guy till you're blue in the face. You just aren't him." The car reached the top of the Ferris wheel and started its trip back down as she spoke. "Nothing you say will change my mind."

"But..." Gohan's paused to breathe, like he was trying to keep himself calm, "You can't deny the fact that you've never seen us in the same place at the same time."

"That's the same argument Sharpner uses when he claims to be Batman."

"When I can't show up to a crime as Saiyaman, I come as the Gold Fighter. That's why you've only seen one or the other."

"I thought you said that was because he's reclusive and only comes when you're out of commission."

He winced. "Well... I was lying."

"Yeah." Videl's scowl deepened. "Just like you are now."

"Videl, I'm not lying _now_!"

"Sure you aren't." She huffed. "Maybe I was too quick about you. You seem to lie like a rug whenever it's convenient."

He clenched his jaw and spoke through his teeth. "I swear I'm _not_ lying to you Videl. I told you I'd give you the truth and I have! I'm sorry that I lied to you back then, but that was to protect my family. To protect _you_."

"As if I need protection from a liar!" Videl retorted angrily. She was hurt. A guy she liked… a guy she liked a lot, was lying to her. About another guy she liked. Whether his motives were pure or not, she was done.

Gohan sat up straight. His dark eyes flickered with anger. "I'm not lying Videl!" He continued adamantly. "Remember when I got hit with that missile at the bank? My suit got damaged! The only way I was able to help was as the Gold Fighter!"

"Gohan…"

"That was me that night last week! You met me in the park, called me Goldilocks and tried to get me to spill the beans about who I was."

"Gohan, you were there when I told that story to Erasa." She looked pointedly away from Gohan. "Just drop it."

"You got angry with your shoes and threw them down the hill."

She glared in the opposite direction. Indignation burned behind her eyes. "Goldy tell you that?" Figures that guy would spill everything to his best friend.

"No! That was me!" Gohan spread his hands in supplication. "I watched you do it!"

"Seriously Gohan. Just. Drop it."

"You wore a sleeveless summer dress and-"

"Stop it."

"We sat on the hill and talked about our pasts-"

"Stop it Gohan! Drop the subject!" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She refused to look at him. This was just too much.

"You told me about your mom when I met you as the gold fighter!" Gohan continued pleading. "I never read about it! You told me yourself she died trying to protect people in a grocery store! I told you my dad died fi-"

Videl slapped him.

It was an open handed slap powered with as much force as she could muster. The sound of a bullwhip breaking the sound barrier would've been quieter than the blow she dealt him.

Gohan's face was a picture of pure shock. Videl didn't feel any better at the sight. If anything it compounded the bitter feeling in her heart. She held her hand close to her chest. It stung from the force of the slap. It probably didn't deal him any real damage, but she didn't care.

Neither teen spoke. A slight jolt to the car directed their attention outside. The ride was over. The door to the little car was opened and just before Videl left, she looked Gohan dead in the eye.

"We're _done_."

She exited the ride. She didn't stop to see if he followed her. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she walked away. _I'm done. Done done done. _The mantra filled her head. _I'm tired of the secrets, of all the lies. I'm DONE. Done with Superheroes! Done with Saiyaman! Done with Go- _She couldn't even think his name.

"What do you want from me!?" Gohan's pained shout called out behind her. "What can I do to make you trust me?!"

Videl stopped. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing. Why did his voice have to sound so heart rending? _Don't talk to him. Don't turn around. Don't do it. It's not worth it. _"Do you have any proof?!" She shouted against her better judgment.

"Proof? You want PROOF?!" She could hear the anger building in his voice. "After ALL we've been through, after ALL you know, you want PROOF!?" He was practically roaring now. "FINE! YOU WANT PROOF!? I'LL GIVE YOU PROOF!"

Gohan started screaming. A gust of wind, powerful enough to make Videl stagger, hit her from behind. _What the hell?!_ She spun around in a panic. The dark eyed teen was glowing. She saw Piccolo swoop in and try to tackle him. She could barely make out what they were saying over the howling wind.

"No Gohan! Not now!"

"I'M DONE HIDING! I'M DONE WITH ALL OF IT!" Gohan fought his mentor as the wind blew people off their feet, sending them running for shelter. Popcorn containers flew in the wind alongside forgotten tickets and stray tufts of cotton candy.

"Goku!" Piccolo hollered at the sky. "Get your ass over here!"

"HE'S LEAVING ANYWAY!" Gohan tried to shake Piccolo off. The green man hung on doggedly. "YOU KNOW WHAT!? I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" Videl took a few steps back, scared. This wasn't Gohan. The man she knew wasn't this frightening. Gohan threw his head back and screamed, "SCREW IT AAAAAAAAAAALL!"

A second blast of air knocked Videl on her back. She looked up in horror as the Ferris wheel rocked crazily on its frame. More people started screaming. Beside her a vendor's stand toppled. Stuffed animals went flying everywhere.

Videl watched as Goku appeared behind Gohan as if by magic. His gi was in tatters as though he'd been fighting hard. He wrapped his son and Piccolo in his arms. Gohan struggled for a second and then the trio disappeared.

The wind dissipated. The Ferris wheel stopped rocking and the people were able to get off safely. Videl stayed on the ground where she'd fallen, staring at the spot where they'd been.

"Videl! Oh no! Videl! Are you alright?"

She turned and saw Chichi rushing towards her. She saw Krillin and Tien close behind her. Chichi stopped at her side and knelt, lifting Videl into a sitting position.

"Videl, talk to me. Are you okay? What happened?"

Videl still stared at the spot Gohan disappeared. When she spoke, her voice was tight. "Your son happened." Ignoring Chichi, she got to her feet and stiffly walked away.

Krillin looked from Videl's retreating form to Chichi's stricken face. He looked around at the damages to the carnival and whistled softly. "That could've gone better."

* * *

**A/N**: What… You thought Hercule would make Gohan snap?  
NOPE! HAHAHAaahhh… Who is 100% done with Videl right now? *raises both hands*

Ladies and gents, we are on our way to a lot of violence! BE PREPARED!  
BTW Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life and job and things get in the way. The whole story is pretty well scripted out at this point. I just have to put pen to paper… or fingers to keyboard. Whatever.

Thanks for reading! Review and tell me if I do the good author-nessessssesssess!


	25. Daddy Issues

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own the characters or plot of DBZ. This is strictly fan-love.

Ch. 25: Daddy Issues

* * *

Goku popped into existence some 30 miles outside the city. He and Piccolo still had a firm hold on the struggling teenage saiyan.

"Calm DOWN Gohan!" Piccolo shouted. Even though he sent waves of calming energy to him, he was largely ignored by the furiously squirming demi-saiyan. Somehow, Gohan tore out of their grip and turned on his father, eyes blazing.

"YOU! You just show up whenever you DAMN WELL PLEASE!"

To say that Goku was shocked would be an understatement. "What are you talking about?"

Gohan's voice deepened. He growled out the words in increasing volume. "First you don't come back, giving us some SHITTY reason to stay dead! THEN you come back here for KICKS and then WHAT DO WE GET!? You decide to leave AGAIN!"

Goku stared at Gohan in astonishment. "But… I thought that…"

"NO! No you DON'T THINK! YOU NEVER THINK!"

Indignation bubbled up in Goku's chest. "Gohan, I was only trying to-"

"JUST SHUT UP!" Gohan transformed. He wasted no time and launched himself straight at Goku.

Goku, who had just been sparring with Vegeta, was thrown for a loop as his super saiyan son decked him hard enough to send him flying. He was sent a good 15 yards away before he righted himself. Goku sucked in a breath. Gohan had kept pace with him.

He brought his guard up just in time to receive a bone shaking blow to the forearm. Goku threw out a kick to knock Gohan off balance and danced back out of his reach. Something was off about all this. "Gohan! What's wrong with you!?"

"_Tych blázne otcept!_" He shouted and charged full tilt at Goku.  
(Fool of a Father!)

Goku's face went blank. "What?"

"Goku!" Piccolo came out of nowhere and barreled into Gohan, knocking him away. Goku watched in horror as his son allowed himself to skid to a stop. As Gohan lowered his guard, his face creased with pain. He clutched the sides of his head and groaned.

"Piccolo! What's going on?!" Goku asked, completely bewildered by the change in his son's behavior. This was completely new to him. And what was he going on about him showing up? Goku started to say something else, but was interrupted as Vegeta appeared at Gohan's side.

"Let it _go_! Give in to it you fool!" Vegeta shouted angrily. "You'll kill yourself if you don't-"

Gohan's sucker punch sent Vegeta flying. Vegeta cussed loudly and lengthily before transforming and diving back at Gohan.

"Gohan's lost it." Piccolo grimaced at the beating Vegeta was receiving. "He told you about his power problems?" Goku nodded and Piccolo continued. "This is what he was talking about."

"I… I didn't think it was this bad." Goku frowned at the fighting pair. "He's like a completely different person! How do we knock him out of it?"

"Depends." Piccolo studied the two fighters. "If he's stuck in a memory, we just have to wake him up. Usually the person he was connected with most at the time of the memory has the best chance."

"I see." Goku rolled his shoulders. He was satisfied with the new course of action. "I promised Chichi that we wouldn't fight till later, but I think she won't mind. Plus if we do this now, I still get to eat dinner before I have to leave."

Piccolo smiled and shook his head. "Only you would be worried about that."

Meanwhile, the prince of all saiyans was having trouble. Vegeta was a little worn out from sparring with Goku. How could he not be? The guy was undead! (you try fighting an undead guy sometime) As he battled for the upper hand, the prince knew he was pushing Gohan further away from sanity. His opponent increased his level of power almost too quickly for Vegeta to compensate. Twice he felt ribs break as he took blows that he could've dodged before. He grimaced, but attacked with his own combinations.

Then he took a nasty kick to the nards.

"*****!" Vegeta lost cognitive thought. A hard kick to the family jewels will do that to a guy, be he a saiyan or not. He was thrown backwards and was passed by a chipper Goku.

"Tag out!" He said, swiftly tapping the prince on the shoulder as he flew by. He powering up to super saiyan and dashed in to intercept Gohan.

His son was ready for him. A flurry of punches and kicks greeted Goku. The saiyan father smiled confidently as he countered, blocked, and dodged them all. He started into his own combinations, but was amazed to see them pushed aside as if they were nothing. Goku frowned and redoubled his attacks. He felt satisfied to feel them hit their marks.

But this just made Gohan angrier.

The saiyan teen's ki spiked higher and suddenly, Goku found himself looking into red eyes. His eyebrows shot up. _Isn't he supposed to have blue eyes? How'd he-_ Gohan knocked the thought out of his head. Goku jumped into the air and shot a few ki blasts down as a response. Gohan flew up to meet him, dodging all the blasts neatly.

Goku grinned at his son. _He's been training. _He thought proudly. A brief image of a young Gohan filled Goku's mind. His heart swelled with pride as he saw him train, little fists beating the air with vigor, face focused, but happy. Little Gohan turned to him and smiled.

Then Gohan, the real Gohan, broke through his memory. The red eyes and … _are those fangs?!_... fangs startled Goku so much that he immediately went on guard. Gohan attacked him viciously, a golden fire surrounding him. Goku was surprised when some of Gohan's attacks actually broke through his defenses.

_This isn't right._ Goku rose to the ascended saiyan and finally got the upper hand over his son. He deflected a kick and sent Gohan plummeting to earth with a vicious kick of his own. His stare hardened as Gohan rebounded off the ground to come back for more. Goku frowned, but obliged.

All the while, Gohan's ki rose steadily.

Goku hit Gohan with a particularly hard punch to the face. He heard something snap and winced. The force of the blow sent Gohan drifting away from him, nose pouring blood. Shock and dismay obscured Goku's fighting spirit. _I just broke my son's nose. _He thought, horrified. _This is wrong!_

"Gohan! Gohan stop!" Goku shouted at his son. "You aren't yourself!"

"SHUT UP CELL!" Gohan shouted back, blood streaming unchecked from his nose. "You are nothing but a LIAR and a MURDERER!"

Goku reeled back. "You think I'm cell!?" Words can hurt just as bad as punches.

"SHUUUUUT UUUUUUUP!" Gohan screamed. Lightning arced over his skin, burning his clothes and tearing them more than they were before. He reached the ascended form and blasted towards Goku.

Down on the ground, Piccolo gaped up at Gohan and Goku. "Oh shit."

* * *

Videl wandered through the crowds aimlessly. She didn't know what to do with herself. She'd just witnessed… whatever that was… after fighting with someone she thought she cared about… _again_. She pulled at her pigtails. _Why does this have to happen to me?_ She thought she'd done a pretty good job avoiding drama up till now.

_Then Go-… then _that guy_ goes and throws a tantrum._ Videl scowled. She still couldn't speak his name, even in her head. _I can't believe I liked him. Videl Satan doesn't do relationships._ She sighed bitterly. _Yeah. Right._ The crime fighter stared at her shoes, lost in her swirling emotions.

_Oh crap!_ She froze. _Erasa and Sharpner! _She'd forgotten about them since the Ferris wheel. They were gonna be so pissed with her. _Better find them quick!_ She paused. They believed Go-… they believed that jerk when he claimed to be the gold fighter. Videl scowled. Maybe she'd find them later.

The blue eyes scanned the carnival. After the 'sudden windstorm', as people were calling it, the masses had calmed down somewhat. They were slowly regaining their levity as rides and games re-opened. Videl lifted her head as an announcement came over the loudspeakers.

"Attention. The savior of the world, Hercule Satan, will be speaking at the grandstand in five minutes."

_Great. As if today couldn't get any worse._ Videl groaned inwardly. That was all she needed. More publicity mongering from her father. She turned to walk out of the park when masses of people rushed around her. She tried to wade her way through the crowd, but was inevitably swept along to the main grandstand. She found herself standing in front of the stage.

She scowled. She had to get away from here. Any more stress on her already vexed emotions would only make things worse. Trying to push her way through gently, Videl looked around at the people surrounding her. No sign of Erasa or Sharpner anywhere. She worked her way toward the edge of the crowd when a loud cheer erupted from everyone. She rolled her eyes.

_Dad._

She looked to the stage and sure enough, proudly making his way towards the podium was Hercule himself. He laughed loudly and threw up his trademark peace signs. The crowd went wild. Videl was buffeted about roughly. She was able to get out of the thick of it by heading toward an elm tree, but tripped over somebody's foot and fell headlong into the ground.

"Woah!" A hand reached out and caught her wrist. It pulled her upright and its partner steadied her. "Careful Videl, you trip in this crowd and you'll never get up!"

Videl looked up, surprised. "Yamucha?!"

"In the flesh." Yamucha grinned. "I tried getting out of here once already. More people just push you back in." He sighed. "This is the safest place I've found."

"Thanks." She said hesitantly. She pulled away from him and stood against the tree.

"No sweat." Yamucha looked out over the crowd. "Kinda scary isn't it? Everyone going wild for the champ."

"Yeah." Videl muttered. "Over the top. That's my dad."

Yamucha chuckled. "Gotta admit the guy's got style."

"Ahuh." _If style is being a media hound. _Yet, as she looked at her dad her expression softened. "But you know, he deserves it."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I mean," Videl gestured to the crowd, "we're all alive because he beat cell."

Yamucha raised an eyebrow. "You really believe that?"

Her expression darkened. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Oh. Well I thought since you knew Gohan…" He trailed off.

"What?" _What did that jerk have to do with anything?_

"Nothing." Yamucha turned his gaze back to the stage. Hercule was chopping a stack of bricks with this hand. He got all but the last one. Making a big show of it, he lifted it up and broke it on his forehead. The crowd ate it up.

Videl didn't pay any attention. "Not nothing. Tell me."

"Not my story to tell."

Videl clenched her fists. "Listen you! I've been dragged all over this crummy fair looking for the truth, but when that… that… _jerk_ decides to go completely berserk, I get no answers! I haven't the patience for 'nothing'!"

Yamucha glanced over at her briefly. "So that's what that was." He looked back at the stage. "Lovers spat?"

Her jaw dropped. The hurt inside her head finally made its way out her mouth. "Are you kidding me?! I HATE that guy!" She turned and threw a punch at the tree. It shivered, but held its ground. "He's nothing but a dirty liar and I hate him!" Tears pricked her eyes afresh. It wasn't bad enough that she knew he was lying, but she wanted to believe him. She wanted so hard to believe that he'd finally come clean to her. That he finally trusted her.

"Liar? Gohan?" Yamucha frowned. "Gohan's a terrible liar."

"Of course he is!" Videl growled sarcastically, scrubbing at her eyes. Her voice choked with unshed tears. "Why am I even talking to you about it?! You're on _his_ side!"

Yamucha leveled a stare at her. "Listen Videl, you're a nice girl, but I've known Gohan since he was a baby. Heck, I've known his _parents_ since they were kids. So yeah, from your perspective I'm on their side. But I'm not going to lie to you about them. That's not what any of them want."

Videl scoffed, getting control of herself. "Right. Sure. I _totally_ believe you."

"Ooh. More sarcasm. Well little Satan," he said, "it's ultimately your choice to believe me. I can't persuade you one way or the other. I just tell it like it is."

"Fine then." She scowled at him. "So tell me like it is."

Yamucha paused before chuckling wryly. "Walked right into that one. Alrighty then. I'll tell you, but first, what'd Gohan say to piss you off?"

"He told me he was the Gold Fighter from the cell games." She tried to sound confident and condescending, but couldn't muster the feeling. It came out bitter and broken, reflecting how she really felt.

The scar faced man's eyebrows shot up. "He told you that?"

"Yeah, but it was all a lie."

"A lie?" Yamucha frowned. "And you know for a fact it couldn't be him."

"Of course I do! The two of them are like night and day!" She continued scowling at Yamucha. "Don't tell me _you_ believe him."

Yamucha sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "He's been using three identities? That kid is nuts." He muttered under his breath. He dropped his hand and looked at her. "Let's switch topics for a second." He gestured to Hercule who was grandstanding like normal. "You know your dad better than anyone. Is he strong?"

"Of course he is." Videl eyed him suspiciously. What was he doing? Her dad had nothing to do with this.

"And you know Cell caused enormous amounts of damage. Not even missiles could kill him."

"Right." She folded her arms. "What's your point?"

He held up his hands in a calming manner. "All I'm saying is that unless your dad can catch missiles, when you compare the two fighter's abilities…" He shrugged and left the thought hanging.

"Hey." Her scowl deepened. "That's not fair. Cell wasn't really all that powerful. He was just using light…" She trailed off as what she was saying hit her.

"Light tricks?" Yamucha smirked. "You mean these?" He held up his hand and there floated a small ki ball. It shone with a red light.

"You… you can make those too?"

"I see Gohan's already shown you." He let the ki fade. "If you know they weren't tricks, what does that tell you?"

Videl's eyes went wide. Her detective brain supplied the answer. _There's no way he could've won._ She shook her head as protests filled her. "But… but that's not true! He told me how he beat Cell! Dad couldn't have… I mean he wouldn't have…"

"Did he tell you exactly how he beat Cell? What was the killing blow?"

She put a hand to her mouth and leaned against the tree. Her brow furrowed as she searched her memory. He'd always glazed over that part or said something more impressive each time he talked about it. The story kept changing. She'd always thought it was because of how fierce battle was. He didn't want to relive the memories.

The more she thought about it, the more it didn't match up. His skills, his words, his stories, his grandstanding… _Cell would've snuffed Dad._ The story fell apart under new information. Her vision blurred. The tears that were just below the surface spilled out as the ramifications hit her. _He's been lying._

_My dad's been lying to me. _

Videl shook with quiet sobs. She didn't want to believe it. If this were true, everything she knew… everything she'd been raised to know… Was it all a lie? Flashbacks filled her mind. Her father drinking booze and who knows what else, ranting at the television screen. Was it guilt that made him act that way? All the awards, all the fame, all the posturing… She cried a little harder. Her world was crumbling. The police force, the mansion, the fancy gadgets… all of it came from a lie. Her father built his empire on falsehood.

What did that make her?

Yamucha watched her as she gave vent to her feelings. A few people noticed and gave the two a little more space, though the general amount of people were too into the speech to pay attention to one crying girl.

Videl calmed down after a while. "Small wonder Gohan didn't want to tell you." Yamucha said softly. He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. "He doesn't like lying, that kid. But he'll keep the truth hidden if it means protecting someone. He's done it before."

She took the handkerchief. "He… He knew?" She said between sobs. "That jerk knew and didn't tell me?" Her voice became angry. "And you! You were there! You didn't tell _anyone_?!You let all of us praise a lie? We were living on the spoils of a freaking lie and you didn't say _anything_?!"

"Geez! Calm down!" Yamucha frowned. "Gohan didn't tell you because he didn't want to hurt you! By the sound of it, you probably wouldn't believe him if he had!" Videl flinched as he hit the nail on the head. The scar faced man continued a little more gently, "And your dad isn't a bad guy Videl. He was there to fight and protect the world just like we were." He leaned back against the tree beside her. "He wasn't powerful enough to beat Cell, but he was there just the same. That took guts."

"But he lied!" Videl sniffled. "He lied and took credit for Cell's destruction!"

"Yeah well, in retrospect, that's a jerk move." He shrugged. "But it was kind of a good thing."

"What?" Videl laughed bitterly through her tears. "How could that possibly have been a good thing?!"

"Well the warriors involved didn't want any press. Heck, we didn't care if Hercule took the credit for it. Cell was destroyed. We were just happy the world was safe." He smiled. "Plus I think we might've gone insane with any extra publicity." He chuckled. "It's kind of opposite of most people, I know."

The crowd cheered loudly, making speech impossible. Videl's tears subsided slowly. She took a few shaky breaths and got herself mostly under control. The noise died down somewhat and she said, "I… I need to think this over. It's been a rough day."

Yamucha nodded. "It's a lot to take in."

She wiped her nose on her shirt sleeve, struggling to get a hold on her emotions. Part of her didn't accept it. It couldn't be true. _I have to talk to Dad. _She looked at Yamucha. "Thanks for telling me. I can understand the logic behind it, but I just…I need to…"

"You gotta go find out for yourself." He moved a ways from the tree and turned back to Videl. He looked uncomfortable. "Look, I'm sorry I caused you pain, but I wanted to make a point." He pointed to Hercule. "You know your dad so well that it's hard to see the truth about him. Your feelings get in the way. I know because I've had the same problems." He smiled in a 'don't ask' kind of way. "I know you know Gohan. I know that there are still things you don't know about him. If you can, try to take your personal feelings out of it. See what answers you find."

Videl looked back at the stage. Hercule was making his closing statements. She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly. She didn't even want to think about he-who-must-not-be-named. She'd deal with that later. There were more urgent matters to attend to, like confronting her father. She turned back to Yamucha, frowning. "Wait a second. Yamucha, if my dad didn't beat Cell… who did?"

Yamucha opened his mouth to answer her, but was interrupted by a tremor underneath their feet. People in the crowd screamed and most fell to the ground. Videl watched as the earthquake made the stage shake and shift.

Yamucha's stiffened and turned his eyes to the sky. "You gotta be kidding me!" He shot an apologetic look at Videl. "Sorry, but I've got to go. Nice talking to you!" He waved goodbye before lifting into the air and speeding off into the distance.

Videl watched him go. She placed a hand to her head and slid down against the tree. Tears that she'd previously banished came back to her eyes. She buried her face in her folded arms and waited for the earth to stop shaking.

_What do I do now?_

* * *

_When'd Gohan get so strong?!_ Goku marveled. Gohan's ki rose to levels that continuously surprised his father. Goku matched them pretty easily, but he was still surprised by it.

The duel continued. Neither fighter gained any ground over the other. Their clothing was reduced to torn scraps. Blood could be seen oozing from various cuts and burns. Goku was sure that they both broke some bones at some point during the fight. Gohan's rage was so complete that he didn't stop to regroup or assess his injuries. He fought like a man possessed. Goku was forced to match his son's energy or risk receiving harsher wounds. Gohan was out for blood and while Goku was dead, he was not invincible.

Shockwaves concussed from blow hitting block. Eventually they were going so fast that they were all but invisible except to the eyes of the veteran fighters on the ground. Piccolo and Vegeta were tense, waiting for the moment that they could help Goku and in turn, help Gohan. However, they were worried even if they didn't voice it to each other. Goku was probably the one Gohan was most attached to during the cell games. If Goku couldn't break through to him, who could?

There was a bright flash of golden light and father and son flew apart. They dropped to the earth and met again in a clash. They stood braced on the ground, stances wide, hands locked together. The two saiyans strained against each other, neither moving an inch.

"Gohan!" Goku tried again, voice tight with strain. "Gohan! Listen to me! Cell is dead! You beat him, remember?!" Gohan didn't respond. "Please snap out of it son! I'm your father!"

Gohan's eyes snapped up to stare at Goku. "You're no father of mine." His voice was cold. "You may have his DNA, but you're no father to me!"

Now Goku knew he was talking to cell, but those words stung him nonetheless. "No Gohan! I'm Goku! I'm your dad! I came back!"

Gohan's grip tightened and his ki rose higher. Goku's boots slid back ever so slightly. "He didn't come back." The deep bitterness in his voice tore at Goku. "He didn't want to come back." Gohan took a step forward and Goku slid back further. "He's dead." The ground around their feet crumbled. Goku was too distraught to keep his footing and Gohan continuously pushed him back. Trying to get a handle on the situation, Goku started to say something. But the words died on his lips as he stared at his son.

Gohan's hair was growing longer.

_No way!_ Goku's eyes went wide. _That's impossible! _He brought his power up to Gohan's level and forced them back to a standstill. _I was only able to reach that level after training in otherworld! He couldn't possibly…_

The ground started shaking.

_Oh crap!_ Goku pushed back with all his strength. _The earth is gonna get destroyed again if we keep this up! I don't think it can withstand two super saiyan th-_

Gohan surprised his father by bringing his head forward. The headbutt broke the skin on Goku's forehead and blood streamed into his eyes. Goku clenched his teeth against the pain and brought a knee up and into Gohan's solar plexus, winding him. Gohan turned as the knee hit him and threw Goku off balance. They tumbled to the ground in opposite directions.

Goku was the first to rise. He started towards his son, but found himself slowing as a great wall of pressure surrounded the demi-saiyan. The ki shield gave Gohan enough time to get to his feet and give his father one of the most bone chilling death glares Goku had ever received. In that moment, right before he threw a punch, Goku felt an enormous sadness well up inside him.

_Gohan, what happened to you?_

Time slowed as Gohan brought his own punch to bear. They hit each other simultaneously. Gohan with a right straight to Goku's chin, Goku with a right cross to Gohan's cheek. The ki shield vanished as they went at it again, hammer and tongs. Goku grunted as a well placed fist hit him hard in the side. Gohan hissed through his teeth as a ki blast burned his arm. Still Gohan's energy grew higher. Goku finally hit Gohan with enough force to send him a few yards away. He pulled his hands together in his most famous attack.

"KA - ME - HA - ME - "

Goku paused with the energy wave still in his hands. His son was flying directly at him like he didn't care about his impending doom. He knew he had to fire his attach, but Goku's conscience stopped him. Memories of a little boy, eyes full of adoration and love flashed in his mind. Even with his eyes red, teeth bared in a feral snarl, he was still Gohan. Still his son.

"I can't." He muttered. The energy faded from his hands.

"NO!" Vegeta shouted. "Don't do it Kakkarot!"

Goku dropped his defenses. _I won't fight him._ Gohan barreled into Goku and forced him against the ground, brutally beating him. Blood flew into the air in spurts. The warrior held on to consciousness doggedly, keeping his energy level steady in the face of Gohan's rising ki. Silently, painfully, he bore the abuse. Caught in the furious typhoon that was his son.

"GOHAN!"

The punches stopped. Goku opened his eyes in amazement. Gohan was poised over him, fist raised for the next blow. Pain creased his familiar features.

"GOHAN PLEASE!"

_Chichi?_ Goku turned his head. He could barely make out a small figure dashing out of a group of people. His friends. They caught up to her and tried to hold her back.

"GOHAN!" She screamed. The man above him flinched. Goku was surprised to see tears work their way through the blood down his face. He dropped his fists to his sides and trembled, crying.

"I'm sorry." Gohan spoke. "I'm so sorry." His voice was so soft that Goku had to strain to hear it. It was filled with such remorse and guilt.

"GOHAN!" Chichi's voice cried again. Gohan shuddered and brought his hands to his face.

"I'm sorry!" He said a little louder, weeping openly now. "I'm sorry! I…"

Goku's heart wrenched in his chest. _What's going on?_ Gohan was obviously in pain. Taking a chance, he tried speaking to his son once more. "Why are you sorry?" he said gently.

Gohan tensed up. He dropped his hands and backed away, scrambling over the broken ground. His red eyes were cloudy and confused. "Dad…" His voice broke. "You're…"

"I'm here Gohan." Goku got up, wincing a little at his own pain and at the pain in his son's voice. "Why are you sorry?"

"You died! You're dead!" The tears didn't stop the disbelief that filled Gohan's voice. "I let you die!"

Goku recoiled in surprise. That was unexpected. "What?"

"I was… I have to tell mom that you…" Gohan sank to his knees, eyes squeezed shut tight. "I'm… I'm sorry! I got cocky and Cell killed him! I let him die!" He got quiet again. "I didn't mean… I'm sorry…" He broke down, sobbing helplessly.

Guilt hit Goku hard in the chest. He moved towards his son. "Gohan…"

"Mom… He's not coming back."

Goku froze.

"No… no he's not coming back." Gohan voice shook with despair. "He's not coming back and it's my fault. I… I'm sorry."

_Chichi. He's talking to Chichi._ Goku's heart broke. _Kami, what have I done?_

Gohan sat there, weeping and shaking, power rolling off him in waves. Even in the midst of his grief, his energy continued to rise. Vegeta and Piccolo stayed where they were, waiting. Afraid to move for fear of setting Gohan off again.

After a few moments of tension, the teen saiyan calmed. His power level slowed in growth though it did not stop completely. Gohan opened his eyes. They were completely blue. The teen looked around in bewilderment. His eyes settled on Goku and he gasped.

"Dad?"

Goku shot towards his son. Gohan didn't have the presence of mind to react as Goku enveloped him in a tight hug. He held him as if he was the only thing in the world that mattered.

"Gohan… Don't apologize. Don't _ever_ apologize for what happened. You did nothing wrong." Gohan stiffened. "You beat cell and I was proud of you. I am still so _damn _proud of you! You are my son and I could never be ashamed of you." Gohan trembled in his father's arms, tears coursing down his face. "When I took Cell away it was because I didn't want you to die! I was… I just did what I thought was best! I swear I didn't know… I thought that if I stayed dead, then bad guys would stop attacking earth! I never wanted… I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry Gohan!" Goku cried softly against his son's shoulder, but didn't care. "I didn't leave because of you! Don't blame yourself for any of that! I swear that if I had known … Why didn't I think!? Kami, you… you were too young and I… I am so sorry son!"

Goku held his son and let his sorrow wash over him. His regrets were many, but he was sure that they held little weight against Gohan's own guilt. Maybe Gohan wouldn't forgive him. It had been seven years since they last spoke. What else had he missed? The saiyan father began to despair until he felt arms wrap around his back and pull him tighter. He was surprised when Gohan slowly reverted to his base form.

"I…" Gohan hiccupped through his tears. "I never g-got to *hic* say goodbye."

"Shhh…" Goku soothed, dropping his power level back to normal. "I'm here now. You don't need to say goodbye."

"I'm *hic* sorry daddy… please forgive me."

"Don't apologize son." Goku sniffled. "If anything I'm the one who needs forgiveness."

Gohan let Goku go and pushed away slightly. His teary eyes were incredulous. "You? What are you *hic* talking about? You're the savior of the earth!" He was still crying. "I'm the one who needs to *hic* ask for forgiveness. You don't need to…"

"Gohan." Goku shook his head. "I let you down. I let you feel like you were responsible for Cell's evil. In saving you, I made you feel like the worst person in the world. Yeah I'm dead, but I chose it. I don't regret saving you, but I regret never telling you that it wasn't your fault." He placed his hands on Gohan's shoulders. "I'm sorry Gohan. Please forgive me?"

Gohan looked at his father in awe. He crumpled to his knees and wept. "Dad… I *hic* I forgive you. Will you forgive me?"

Relief flooded Goku. "Sure, but there's nothing to forgive." He knelt in front of Gohan. "I forgive you son."

Like how ice vanishes in warm sunshine, the guilt and shame surrounding Gohan's heart melted away. He threw his arms around Goku and cried his lungs out. Goku held his son and let his own tears flow freely. He heard cheering from the small group headed their way and smiled.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing.

* * *

Videl stared out the window of the sleek black limo. After the earthquake stopped, her father insisted that she take a ride home with him. Normally she would've walked home herself, she didn't like showy displays of wealth, but her father insisted. She was sure that he sensed that something was wrong. He'd even told his 'escorts', the bimbos that sometimes followed him around at big events like this, to give them some time alone. Normally that would've said a lot for how much he cared.

But Videl could only think about the Cell games.

About the lie.

Hercule sat across from her, nervously fiddling with his championship belt. Even her father was careful around Videl when she was in a bad mood. He cleared his throat and said, "Crazy weather we've been having. That's the fourth time we've had an earthquake this month."

Videl made a noncommittal noise.

He gave her a stern look. "I hope that you'll take more care. I don't want the daughter of the champion done in by something like an earthquake!" He laughed. Videl shot him a downright frosty glare and his laugh turned into a quiet cough.

She turned her gaze back to the passing city and he sighed. "Sweet pea, what's the matter?" He asked softly.

Videl clenched her jaw. "Nothing." She ground out.

Hercule sighed. "Not just nothing then." He shifted so he was sitting on the edge of his seat, his elbows resting on his knees. "Was it that boy?"

Videl curled her fingers into fists and tried not to think about he-who-must-not-be-named.

"Thought so." Hercule pounded his fist into the palm of his other hand. "Is he spreading rumors again? Why that little punk! I'll twist him into so many knots that not even the boy scouts will be able to untie him!"

Even in quite the agitated state of mind, Videl snickered at the imagery. Hercule grinned and continued. "Don't worry Videl, that blonde kid won't get away with it!"

_He's talking about Sharpner._ Videl sighed. "Dad," she looked at him gravely, "we need to talk."

Hercule frowned. "About what?"

Videl gathered her nerve. _Hope Yamucha's wrong._ "About the Cell games."

Hercule didn't say anything for a moment. Then he laughed. "Well that's a relief! Here I thought you wanted to talk about boys!"

"Dad."

"Videl, you know all about the Cell games!" Hercule gave her a stage grin. "Your old man is the greatest there is!"

"_Dad_."

Hercule put his hands up. "Alright alright. What do you want to know?" he asked with a confident air.

"How did you defeat Cell?"

"With my supreme martial arts skills and strength of course!"

"But how?" Videl pressed, hopeful. "What was the move that did him in?"

"Uh." Hercule looked a little uncomfortable. "It was my… uh… megaton punch. Yeah! My Megaton Punch!" He held up his fists. "No one can stand in the way of my Megaton Punch! Not even that freak show Cell!"

"Oh…" Videl's heart sank. "Last time I asked you, you said it was your flaming roundhouse kick."

Hercule's discomfort grew. "Oh." He started to sweat. "That must've been it then. It was such an intense battle that my memory must've fogged a little."

"Dad… Every time I ask you, you change your story." Videl deadpanned.

"I do not!" Hercule protested. "I just happen to remember a different aspect of the fight each time!"

"Give it up Dad." Videl's voice turned bitter. "I know the truth."

"The truth?"

She scoffed at his blank look, deciding to change tactics. "I met with the gold fighter."

Hercule's eyes widened. "You met with who?" He blustered. "Videl, what have I told you about meeting strange-"

"Dad." Videl interrupted. "He was the delivery boy from the cell games." That got his attention.

"The delivery…" He visibly paled. "You met with him? He's still alive?"

"Yeah."

"I see." He cleared his throat. "What'd he say?"

"He didn't." Videl scowled. "But those light tricks? Those things you said Cell used to scare people into thinking he was tough?"

"Y-yeah?"

"They aren't tricks are they?"

"Now Videl…"

"AREN'T THEY!?"

Hercule didn't answer. Videl shook her head in disgust. "Didn't think so." She looked out the window.

"Sweet pea, those things those guys did, you weren't there to see it. They were…" Hercule groped for the right words, "monsters. No one has that kind of power. I thought it was impossible to do the things they did so I wrote it off as a trick."

"You didn't kill Cell."

Hercule fell into a shocked silence. Videl stared out the window, ignoring him.

…

"Videl I…"

"You lied to me dad." Videl cut him off angrily. "You lied to everyone." She glared at him in disgust. "How could you?"

Hercule gave a heavy sigh and tugged at his receding afro. "It's hard to explain."

"Then tell me."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Oh really!?" Videl laughed bitterly. "The only thing I can't understand is how a father could lie to his daughter for seven years and not bat an eye!" Hercule wilted under her scorn, but she kept going, unable to stop. "You've built a life on your lie! I've built a life on your lie! What does that make me?! Huh?! Tell me where I fit in to this mess!" Angry tears pricked her eyes. "I looked up to you! I wanted to be as strong as you are! And then this! Was I just chasing a dream!? Is all that I am just a lie too?!"

"Videl, please." Hercule bowed his head. "Let me explain."

"Please do!" Videl folded her arms across her chest. "I'll have the truth this time_ if you please_!"

Hercule winced. "I admit that I haven't been straight with you." Videl shot him a withering look and he sighed. "Yes, I've been lying to you. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you. There were times I wanted to tell you, but you would look at me with such adoration that I…" Hercule hung his head. "I couldn't tell you. I didn't want you to despise me. I couldn't break your dreams like that."

"It would've been better if you did!"

"Really?" Hercule gave her a look that closely resembled her own. "Would you have joined the police force and done a world of good in this city if you knew the truth?"

Videl scowled. She didn't want to give him any credit. "Get on with it."

Hercule brow creased in pain. "It's true I went to the Cell games. You've seen the footage that we have. That's all true."

"So you did get creamed by Cell."

Her father flinched. "I'd rather not discuss that part. It was a hard battle and I fought to save the world, but I did not defeat Cell."

"But you thought it was okay to tell everyone that you did?!"

"What did you expect me to do?" He spread his hands in supplication. "Those other guys flew away before we could go talk to them! The media guy was looking to me for answers and I couldn't just tell him nothing!"

"You could've told him the truth!"

"What? The fact that the little kid who beat cell might've been dead?!" Hercule's voice broke slightly. He cleared his throat and continued, ignorant of Videl's shock. "Three fighters had already died at the hands of that monster. The big blonde guy, the purple haired guy, that guy with the crazy Mohawk… It wasn't right!"

Videl's voice was quiet with shock. "The… the delivery boy beat cell?"

"Yes." Hercule suddenly looked tired. "He beat him, but he collapsed. I didn't know if he survived." He put his head in his hands. "I had the hopes of the world on my shoulders. That little boy did what I couldn't do. I figured I owed him one. Because they left so quick, I figured they didn't want the media looking for them. If that little kid died…" He looked back up at Videl and shrugged. "You know how the media is."

Videl allowed him a small nod, still reeling from the information he just let slip. They'd been on the receiving end of some ruthless reporters before.

"So I gave them a story. Things escalated from there." He sighed wearily. "Before I knew it, everybody was giving me things, having me do speeches, kiss babies… I wanted to tell the true story, but if I did, I'd be letting everyone down."

Videl shook her head. "But you keep telling lies about those fighters. They didn't use tricks! They-"

"Videl, would you really want to live in a world where people can catch bullets and shoot lasers from their hands?" Hercule interrupted. "If people thought that was anything but a trick, everyone would be living in fear!"

Videl frowned and turned back to the window. _He has a point, but what does that matter!? I'm his daughter! He lied to me!_ She thought angrily. She pushed aside the tears of hurt that welled in her eyes and focused on her anger. _He doesn't deserve forgiveness._ Abruptly, Yamucha's words popped into her head.

_Try to take your personal feelings out of it. See what answers you find._

Videl took a slow, deep breath. As she did, her father continued speaking.

"I just did what I thought was right."

_He's not a bad guy Videl._

_Oh shut UP Yamucha!_ Videl pushed those thoughts aside. "What about now? All that grandstanding you do… the girls, the money, the business deals… how do you justify that?"

Hercule had the audacity to look sheepish. "That was… uh… keeping my cover story…"

Videl scoffed. "Cover story nothing! You got used to the fame and the luxury. You keep dissing the real fighters to keep your lousy title!"

Her father winced. "When you put it that way…"

"Leave off Dad."

There was silence.

"…"

"…"

"What do you want me to do?" Hercule asked.

The question caught Videl off guard. What did she want him to do about it? Should she demand that he come clean to all his followers? Should they give up everything they had? Yamucha's comments kept worming their way back into her mind.

She bit her lip. "I need some time to think."

"Videl, please believe that I'm sorry I lied to you." Hercule pleaded. "I did what I thought was right. Please forgive me." He hung his head. "I already lost your mother. I don't want to lose you too."

Videl blinked back her tears. "I just… need some time to think." She repeated.

He nodded, hopeful. "Take all the time you need."

* * *

**A/N**: Yamucha doesn't get enough love.  
Srsly, that guy gets thrown under the bus more than Sharpner does. Granted, he deserves some of it, but he's one of the world's strongest humans! Doesn't that account for anything?  
Eh… not really. :P

Too many… FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS!  
Nerrr durr duurrrr. Hopefully Gohan's done being a crybaby, (shut up you know you love it) so hopefully we can get back to more fighty fighty time.  
Also, TAKE THAT VIDEL! MMMMMMMMMMM! THAT'S WHATCHA GET! THE TRUTH HUUUUUURRRTSSZZ!

On a side note, this chapter was inspired by the Imagine Dragons song: I'm So Sorry.  
Look it up. IS GOOD.  
Thanks for reading! Review if you feel like telling me HOW IT BE!


	26. Repercussions

**DISCLAIMER: **OH! I don't remember… Maybe I left it…*rifles through sock drawer* Eh, scratch that. Nope! I don't own this!

Ch. 26: Repercussions

* * *

"I can't believe how strong he's gotten!"

Krillin chuckled and parried Goku's punch. "Speak for yourself! How'd you get stronger again anyway?"

"Training in otherworld!" Goku smiled happily.

Gohan grinned as he watched his father spar with his friends. Relaxing against the old apple tree he's known since he was a baby, he looked up through the gently swaying branches and marveled at what happened mere hours before.

His dad forgave him.

The feeling of relief had filled him to the brim. Even now he couldn't help but smile. It was amazing. He'd never felt so free. So indescribably free from the past seven years of guilt. He didn't even realize how heavy a weight it was. It left him in a state of wonder.

He looked around. Things seemed almost too perfect. A picnic in the perfect outdoors, watching the sun start to set. His family and friends having a grand old time on the small hill. Playing catch, talking, laughing, sparring, and enjoying each others company without masses of people everywhere. It was so peaceful. He turned and saw his brother and Trunks wrestle playfully at the bottom of the hill. The only thing that could make this any better would be Videl by his side and…

_Oh._

His smile faded. How could he have forgotten? Videl didn't believe him. She didn't believe him and even rejected all his evidence. Heck, she didn't even ask for any evidence! Instead, she denied him. She even hit him. Really smacked him a good one and sent him over the edge. He brushed a hand through his jet black hair in frustration. There was no way she would ever believe anything he told her now. What was he supposed to do?

He was brought back to the present when he received a light bump to the shoulder. "Gohan! Earth to Gohaaaaaan!" Goku waved his hand in his face. "You're spacing out there son!"

"Daaaad." Gohan smirked and bumped his shoulder playfully against his father's. He didn't even notice when Goku plopped himself down next to him. Gohan's smirk died and he turned to look back up through the leaves.

The saiyan warrior frowned. "What's the matter?"

Gohan sighed. "Nothing."

"Really?"

Gohan hesitated. "Well… not nothing I guess." He couldn't lie.

"Thought so." Goku chuckled. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Gohan looked at his father with a half smile. "I just wish I could turn back time."

"I know what you mean." Goku nodded, putting his hands behind his head. "There are so many things that I wish I would've done while I was here. Gone for a hike in the mountains. Checked up on Toto and his wife. Went fishing with you and Goten…" He grinned at his son. "Ate more of your mom's cooking."

Gohan laughed. "Same old dad." His chuckles died away and he averted his eyes. "How long do you have left?"

Goku sensed the change in his mood and sobered. "Not long. A few more minutes maybe."

They sat in silence. The unspoken question hung between them.

_Can't you stay?_

Goku gave a world weary sigh and ran a hand through his raven hair. "Gohan, I…"

"Gokuuuuuu!" Their gaze was arrested by a little old lady floating on a crystal ball. Where she came from, Gohan could only guess, but he had the sinking suspicion he knew why she was here.

Goku frowned and rose to his feet. He dusted off his backside and faced the old lady. "Hey Baba."

"Goku," Baba nodded, "it's time to go."

"Aww man." Goku whined. "Just a little longer Baba? Please?" The little old woman shook her head and he pouted. "Alright. Just let me say goodbye to everyone and we'll go." He trudged off, leaving Gohan at the top of the hill with Baba.

Gohan looked at the old woman. She turned and caught his gaze. He rose to his feet and came to stand next to her. They watched the group of people gather together to say goodbye to Goku.

His voice was soft when he spoke. "Does he really have to go?"

Baba's expression was pained. "I'm sorry dear, but yes. He has to leave, it's in the rules." She sighed and forestalled the question he was about to ask. "There's nothing I can do."

He grit his teeth and stared at the dirt under his feet. It felt so unfair. He just reconciled with his father after so many years and now he was leaving. He knew there was nothing he could do, but that didn't make it any less difficult. So, pulling himself together, the demi-saiyan straightened his posture. He walked down the hill to the cluster of his family and friends. It was time to say goodbye.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAW" Goten wailed, gripping Goku's leg fiercely. "I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAVE!"

"I know Goten, I know." Goku soothed. "But I gotta go. It's the rules."

Goten sobbed against his leg. He'd just gained a dad and now he was leaving. It was so unfair.

"Oh Goku…" Chichi took a shuddering breath. She smiled beatifically through her tears. "It was so good to see you. I wish you were staying."

Goku's expression was sad, but he smiled none the less "Me too Chi." He looked at his friends and saw their sad faces. With the exception of Vegeta and Piccolo, everyone was openly sad to see him go. "Aw, cheer up! I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Krillin muttered, "after we've died."

Goku chuckled and pried his youngest son off his leg. "I'll miss you guys." He turned to go and everyone started calling out their farewells.

"We'll miss you too Goku!"

"Keep in touch!"

"Remember to eat well!"

"Don't let King Kai give you grief over long distance calls!"

"Thanks guys." He grinned cheerily in the classic Son way and lifted into the air alongside Baba. "See you later!" He saw them waving and threw them a two fingered salute. They watched as he and Baba slowly became insubstantial until they disappeared altogether.

Gohan stood solemnly, looking up at the sky where he'd last seen his father. That heavy sadness settled on him once more, but in a different way. It was more like how it should've felt. Losing a father that is. He barely noticed Vegeta come up beside him.

"Brat." Vegeta said gruffly.

"Vegeta." Gohan acknowledged without turning his head.

They stood in silence, side by side. The proud saiyan prince didn't speak for a good while. Perhaps he was allowing Gohan a moment to grieve. Perhaps he didn't know what to say. Perhaps he just didn't know how to say it. When he decided to speak, Vegeta's gruff voice rang out like a bell. "You didn't find your limit."

Gohan stiffened. The people around him stopped their conversations. He groaned inwardly. _Way to be blunt Vegeta._

"No. I didn't."

He heard several people around him gasp and someone said a soft curse. Vegeta just growled angrily. "You fool. I told you to let it go."

Gohan shook his head. "I couldn't." His father was right there. There was so much left undone between them. He beat his ki down with everything he had to make it right. It worked. With his father's help it worked. He didn't want to fight him. It wasn't right.

The saiyan prince ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. "You don't know what you've done."

Gohan frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

Vegeta scowled back at Gohan. "I watched your fight. Had your pathetic excuse of a father not stopped his attack…" He grit his teeth angrily. "… your rage would've been unleashed in its fullest potential. You would've reached your peak!" The next words were hard for him to say. "With Kakkarot gone, there's no one to reign in your power."

Gohan's eyes went wide. "You mean…"

"Yes you idiotic excuse for a saiyan." Vegeta ground out bitterly. "You've run out of time. The next time you transform, you sign this planet's death warrant."

* * *

The sandbag hung from its carbon steel frame in dejection. All it wanted out of life was to be a punching bag. It sounded like a good deal when everything started. Help fighters become stronger, give in to its masochistic tendencies, all in all a win-win situation. It never expected to be snuffed out so soon. Why did life have to be so cruel?

Another vicious punch landed on its midsection, threatening to tear the already threadbare material. It had gone through beating after beating for hours on end. The fighter in front of it didn't show any signs of stopping. Had it a voice, it would've cried out for mercy. But in the end, it was still just a simple sandbag.

One that bore the brunt of Videl's frustrations.

Videl grunted as she pummeled the unfortunate sandbag. Training was the way she coped with her problems. It served to clear her head and work out her anger issues. Driving her body mercilessly, she'd been at the sandbag for nearly the entire night. She tried to empty her mind. Tried to beat her problems into oblivion.

But it wasn't working.

She shouted in frustration and unleashed a barrage of kicks at the weary sandbag. She couldn't shake off her feelings. Her thoughts swirled in her agitated brain in a never ending circle of problems.

_Dad lied to me._

_That jerk lied to me._

_The Gold Fighter beat Cell._

She stopped kicking the sandbag and rushed it again with a battery of punches.

_My father's been lying to me for seven years._

_He's been lying to be since day one._

_Who is the Gold Fighter?_

Frustrated, she went at it with a will, putting her full weight behind each of her blows.

_How could he justify it? I'm his daughter!_

_I thought that jerk was my friend!_

_He's the one who really beat cell! Why didn't he say anything?!_

"GRAAH!" Videl let fly a most vicious punch and felt the bag tear under her knuckles. She withdrew her hand and watched the sand pour from the gaping wound in the material. Her frustrations overwhelmed her in the sudden lapse of movement. She sunk to her knees, panting, hands clenched into fists.

"Why does everything have to be so hard?" She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her fist. She didn't know what to do. With everything coming to light at once, her life felt like it was falling apart.

She slumped in exhaustion. Now that she was kneeling it was harder to fight the fatigue that had built up in her body since she began. She pushed herself to her feet and moved to another sandbag. There were at least a dozen in this particular training room. She brought her fists back up into a fighting position and started punching anew.

As if she heard the new sandbag's silent pleas, her hands fell back to her sides after a few minutes.

"I'm not getting anywhere." Videl muttered. Instead of clearing her mind, she only succeeded in frustrating herself further. She sighed deeply and moved over to a bench to take a break. It was far past midnight by this time. She'd shut herself in this training room since they'd arrived home. The few times her father had come to check on her, she didn't let him in. He was one of the last people she wanted to talk to.

She slumped down on the bench. _What do I do now?_ She shook her head tiredly. _Face the facts, Videl. Just gotta face the facts. Your dad, the guy who raised you, lied to you for seven years. That guy you liked lied to you since you met him. That guy you had a crush on beat cell and never told anyone_. What was she supposed to do now?

_Take your personal feelings out of it. See what answers you find._

"Shut UP Yamucha!" She muttered under her breath. She didn't want to put aside her personal feelings. Her personal feelings were what drove her to find the truth in the first place! Her feelings about each situation were strong and she didn't want to be torn apart again by another lie.

She sighed again, feeling spent from all the angry tears. _Maybe he's right though._ She acknowledged begrudgingly. _I'm obviously not getting anywhere hanging on to my anger. _She pressed her hands against her eyes, willing the tension to go away. _I just wish I had some advice._

The young crime fighter leaned back against the wall. All the angry adrenaline was gone. Her emotions quelled temporarily by her body's exhaustion. If she wanted to evaluate things apart from her personal feelings, now was the time to do it.

_First things first._ She reasoned tiredly. _Dad._

It was obvious that he told her the truth in the limousine. He'd gone to the cell games to protect the planet. He grandstanded back then to keep himself from shaking in his boots. Something anyone would've done in his position. He'd done his best, but couldn't compete with the greater fighters that were there. He had pure motives when he took the credit. Protect the broken little boy who saved the world. Then things got out of control as the lie grew. He had to lie to everyone. Now, he lived off his fame and slandered those who put their lives on the line seven years ago.

_But he's not a bad guy_. She thought he'd be corrupt about it, but he wasn't. He didn't claim the victory out of selfish desire. _Yamucha was right. _He was still her father through and through. Thinking on it further, she felt like she understood a little better why he acted the way he did. One way in front of people, another way around her. The guilt ate him up on the inside and he did his best to drown it out with booze and women. He was a media hound to keep up appearances for the sake of keeping the lie alive.

And now the truth was out, at least to his daughter.

Videl massaged her temples. _And then he asks me what I want him to do. What kind of question is that? He should know what to do already!_ But did he really? Did the years of lying wear him down that much?

She considered the consequences. What would happen if she told him to come clean? Go to the presses with the real story? _It would cause a mass panic._ She realized sadly. People would take drastic measures. _No one wants to live in a world where crazy monsters can blow you up with the slightest provocation. Where guns are useless._ Things would only get worse from there. Their family would be ostracized. Everything they had, taken from them. People embittered to them for generations. All the good that they had done would disappear. Sure the cities had been rebuilt, but the faith that people had in them and their safety would vanish. No, she would not ask him to tell.

_But he needs to change._ She thought to herself firmly. _This can't continue! No more slander! No more continuing the lie! No more drinking, no more women… And he's going to give it all back! Everything he earned through deceit. I don't care if it's charity or whatever, but he's going to have to return all the fancy statues, all the self portraits, all the videogames, action figures, and bobble head dolls! I don't even care what he says, I just want it done! _She allowed herself a small smile. _Yeah. That'll be good. Give it all back._ Her eyelids drifted lower. _All of it… The power tools, the butler… even the widescreen…_

Videl slapped at her cheeks. "Wake up!" she murmured. "Stay awake!" She still had more issues to deal with! She gripped her knees and leaned forward.

_I have to find someone to corroborate the story for me._ She reasoned. _I need to know that this is the truth for sure._ She believed her father, but needed the peace of mind that proof would give her. But who could she ask? She would try to get a hold of Yamucha, but it was a well known fact that Yamucha stopped accepting personal calls a while ago. His manager had gotten tired of his practices being interrupted all the time by fans. She had no idea how to contact Krillin or Tien Shinhan. They practically dropped off the map after the cell games. She didn't want to talk to Vegeta. He was scary.

_I'll ask the Gold Fighter! _Videl brightened. She'd wanted to see him for a while now. Now that she knew more, she was excited to have a legitimate reason to seek him out. The only way to contact Goldie was to talk to…

He-who-must-not-be-named.

She scowled darkly at the opposing wall. _Figures._ The one person she didn't want to see, talk to, or think about above all else. She didn't want to even consider anything to do with he-who-must-not-be-named. In fact, he-who-must-not-be-named could go die in a fire right now for all she cared!

Videl sighed in frustration. Well, maybe not in a fire. _I have to talk to that jerk again whether I like it or not. The Gold Fighter defeated Cell. Goldie will be able to corroborate dad's story and help me sort this mess out._

She tilted her head and stared at the ceiling. She thought about he-who-must-not-be-named and felt a twinge of guilt. What if… hypothetically speaking of course… what if he-who-must-not-be-named really _was_ the Gold Fighter? What if he _was_ telling the truth? What would that mean?

_It would mean that he defeated cell. It would mean that he's been telling the truth all along, barring the lies he told to keep his secrets. _She frowned. _It would mean that he's the same guy. The same guy who saved my life countless times. The same guy who I had a crush on as a little girl. _The same strong, handsome, kind, lovable, nerdy, spankin' hot…

"AGH!" Videl stood up from her seat and started pacing. "No! I do not like him! He is NOT the same guy! They are very different people! That jerk is lying and doesn't deserve my trust!"

But, in retrospect, what did the Gold Fighter do to deserve her trust? Apart from knowing he was at the cell games and defeated Cell, she didn't really know the Gold Fighter all that well. If anything she knew he-who-must-not-be-named far better. In fact, they'd become pretty good friends.

Videl winced. _Well, we used to be good friends._ Their argument at the carnival earlier definitely ended whatever friendship they had.

Videl continued pacing as the memories came back to her. The anticipation, the reveal, the hurt… The more she thought about it, the more she wished that last conversation with he-who-must-not-be-named had never happened. Frankly, she didn't want to be angry with him. She was more hurt than angry. Hurt and tired of being hurt. She got in too deep and genuinely wanted to be his friend. Then he told her his 'secret'.

"Why… why did you have to lie to me?" Videl voice got slowly quieter until it was barely above a whisper. "Why couldn't we have stayed the same? Why did you have to make this so complicated?"

Try as she might, Videl couldn't put the entirety of the blame on him. They could've had a grand old time at the carnival, but she couldn't let go of the fact that he still kept secrets from her. She wanted to know. Why oh why couldn't she let sleeping dogs lie at least for a day?

Easy, her pride wouldn't let her. She had to know because... Well, because she wanted him to trust her. Videl didn't get that you can't force trust. You had to give it out before you could receive it.

Videl rubbed her eyes tiredly. _Things are going to be _great_ on Monday._ She really didn't look forward to seeing him in school. Hopefully she could avoid him like he-who-must-not-be-named (voldemort?) avoided her for the beginning part of their relationship. She scowled. That was not the right word to use. They were certainly not in a relationship.

Suddenly Erasa's voice echoed in her head.

_You obviously like Gohan! Your reaction from him giving you something as sweet as a kiss on the cheek tells me that much!_

Videl lifted a hand to her cheek as she remembered the kiss from the balcony. Her scowl fell from her face. An expression of heartbreak took its place. "I don't know enough. I don't know if he's lying again." She murmured.

_You HAVE enough information! It ain't rocket science, Videl._

She shook her head. "But there's no evidence. I can't just…"

_Heck you already KNOW the Gold Fighter!_ _I could've SWORN you would've figured it out by now!_

Videl buried her face in her hands. Could it be true? Could it really be that easy? She was so sure that he was lying… at least she had been an hour ago. In all honesty a part of her wished she could believe him. How perfect would it be? The guy you liked, liked you back, and was also a secret crush of yours from your childhood. But no. That would've been far too easy.

And nothing was ever that easy.

"Wait… how did Erasa know?" Videl asked herself suddenly. She hadn't considered that. She figured that Gohan was just spreading the lie around. If that was the case, why didn't anyone else at school know about it? Videl scrunched her brow up in concentration. Gohan wasn't the kind of guy to just spread rumors about himself. She'd learned that much at least from studying the guy. If her previous investigating was worth anything, she knew him to be the complete opposite of a normal teen!

_You work for the police Videl. Use that detective brain of yours!_ She scolded herself. She plopped herself down in the middle of the exercise floor to think. _Look at the facts. _Gohan, Saiyaman, and the Gold Fighter had never been seen together. But that was because Gohan was really Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter didn't show up unless saiyadork was incapacitated in some way. It was plausible that her unassuming classmate was really all three and that the Gold Fighter was just his backup plan.

_Come to think of it, they really do look alike._ Videl allowed. She had been witness to Gohan's hidden muscles and super strength. The two had more in common than she originally thought. Both lost their fathers to cell. Both of them knew the group of warriors who were at the cell games. Both of them were about the same height and had spiky hair.

It was unusually plausible.

_But then, why would he feel the need to lie to me?_ Videl rested her chin in her hand, barely keeping her weariness at bay. He must've told Erasa when she questioned him about it. Why couldn't he tell her too? Wasn't she closer to him than Erasa was?

_Gohan didn't tell you because he didn't want to hurt you! By the sound of it, you probably wouldn't believe him if he had! _

Videl smacked her forehead as she remembered Yamucha's words. _He didn't tell me because I'm Hercule's daughter!_ If he was the Gold Fighter, then he knew her father was a liar! He didn't want to hurt his friend! The more she considered it, the more it matched up with Gohan's character.

It was completely plausible.

The fem fatale paused in her sleuthing. It really was too easy. What if it was all some sort of ploy? She frowned sleepily. _What if this is just some weird mysterious arrangement of circumstances? What if it's a setup?! I got to find proof!_ Proof was the one thing her pride wouldn't let go of. She relied on it to divide the truth from the lies.

She sat there pondering until her body started to argue with her mind. Videl was unaware of her eyelids slowly falling closed. Her mind spun in sleepy circles until it turned to unintelligible mush. She slumped to one side, exhaustion finally taking over as she sank into a dead sleep.

* * *

On the other side of the mountain, Gohan stared at the ceiling. He glanced over at the clock and winced. 3:20 AM. His mental groan echoed in the caverns of his mind. Sleep stayed far away from the poor demi-saiyan. He'd tried to rest, but his mind and his energy kept him wide awake. Counting sheep didn't work. Counting sheep never works.

He flipped over and mulled over the day's events. Things really hadn't gone well for him. After Vegeta's blunt proclamation at the picnic, everyone seemed to go ballistic. His mother attempted to strangle Vegeta for insinuating that her precious baby could ever harm somebody, his godmother tried to keep Vegeta from killing Chichi, Tien tried to calm a hyperventilating Yamucha, and Roshi and Oolong kinda shrugged. They gave in to the idea that they were toast and went out for drinks.

Krillin was the calmest out of everybody. He just shook his head and smirked wryly. The former monk figured something like this would happen eventually, but he never thought Gohan would be the one to snap and destroy everybody.

Gohan rolled over in bed again. _But I haven't! I haven't gone insane! Everyone is acting like I'm going to go psycho any minute now!_ Everyone except Vegeta and Piccolo started treating him with the utmost caution. Even his mother acted like she was treading on eggshells when they got home! It was infuriating. People kept asking him if he was okay. He felt fine! If anything all the extra attention would be what drove him crazy!

Giving up trying to fall asleep, Gohan got up from his bed and stared out the window at the serene nightscape. Casting his senses, he made sure that everyone else in the house was asleep before opening the window. He drifted outside and glided over the lawn. Slowly he turned to float on his back inches above the blades of grass. He stared up at the sky and sighed.

Would it be as bad as Vegeta said it would be? It's not like it would be the end of the world or anything. He would just to have to wish everyone back with namek's dragonballs. Then he'd probably have to explain to everyone why he killed everything. He made a face. That would end badly. Even if they all believed him, he'd be public enemy number one. And Videl…

Another sigh worked its way past his lips. As if things couldn't get any worse, he remembered that Videl wanted nothing to do with him. The one girl he'd developed feelings for, the one girl who he couldn't get out of his head for anything, was done with him. And now he couldn't give her any proof. If he transformed again, there was a high probability of him losing control. Vegeta made that abundantly clear.

Gohan chuckled dryly at the irony of it all. _I really dug myself into a hole this time._ He should've told her the truth from the beginning. Instead, the lies built up so that she wouldn't believe him without him outright showing her. Now it was impossible.

_I shouldn't think about her._ He thought to himself firmly. _It's more important that I figure out how NOT to destroy everything to try and reach my limit. _He'd been pondering this dilemma since arriving at home. He didn't eat at lunch or dinner, he couldn't sleep now even in the wee hours of the morning, and he didn't feel like he needed either of those things. It was probably a bad sign, but what was he supposed to do about it?

Gohan huffed. He flipped back over and continued to glide along like a manta ray. He wasn't in a very good mood. In fact, ever since his father left he'd been rather irritable. His mother hadn't commented on it, thankfully, but he was sure she noticed. Evidenced by the way she was almost too careful in dealing with him. The lack of sleep only compounded his irritation. Perhaps it was a side effect of not finding his limit?

The dark eyed teen frowned heavily. _Stupid hormones. _He reached up and rubbed his temples. _Why's everything got to happen to me? _He felt unsettled yet again. The power under his skin compelled him to move. It made his muscles twitch. Like it was begging for Gohan to run wild.

"Fine." He muttered to himself. "Not like it's going to make a difference." He surrendered to the restless energy and shot up into the clouds. He went as high as he dared before falling back down to the planet's surface. He swooped down, skimming along the ground as he did before, but at a far faster pace. The countryside rushed past him. Farmland became a blur as he zoomed along. Suddenly he was in the city.

Even at dark o'clock, people were still driving and walking the streets. Gohan skimmed over the pavement, dodging cars, startling pedestrians and causing a general ruckus. He zipped in and out of crowd of people, giggling when they shouted in alarm and dismay at the wind in his wake. He abandoned the streets as he flew toward a skyscraper. Keeping flush against the building, he shot up the side of the glass. At one point he stopped and waved to a janitor that was making his nightly rounds.

The janitor looked at him, wide eyed and pale. It made sense that he was a bit startled since Gohan was only wearing pajama bottoms and floating at the 40th story window. Nevertheless, the poor janitor slowly waved back at the youth. Gohan grinned and shot up further up the building. He finally slowed as he came to a stop at the tippy-top of the lightning rod attached to the skyscraper.

He looked out over the city and smiled, reveling in the height at which he stood. Far above the city, looking down at its people, he felt a surge of adrenaline.

Gohan stopped himself. "What am I doing?" He muttered. Having fun was one thing, but flying around at night, shirtless, and scaring random janitors was not usual for him. He ran a hand down his face and frowned. "Stupid hormones. I've got to figure out what to do about my power. I just wish I had more time." Suddenly he snapped his fingers. "Time! That's it! The hyperbolic time chamber! That's just what I need!"

Gohan looked down at the bright lights of the city. He grinned in a most devil-may-care way and allowed himself to fall backwards. He almost made a Gohan pancake on the sidewalk before IT-ing to another part of the world completely.

* * *

"BOO!"

"BAAAAGH!" Dende fell backwards as his saiyan friend popped into existence two inches in front of his nose.

"Scared you didn't I?" Gohan grinned mischievously.

"You most certainly did Gohan!" Dende sat back up. He'd been meditating on his bed when Gohan popped in on him. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"I don't know. Just kind of happened." Gohan shrugged. "Listen, I was wondering if I could ask for a favor."

Dende looked at his friend curiously. "A favor?"

"Yeah." Gohan nodded eagerly. "I was wondering if I could use the hyperbolic time chamber to sort out my limit problems."

Dende put a hand to his chin in thought. "That's… not a bad idea."

"I know right?"

The namekian guardian frowned. "Except…"

The smile dropped from Gohan's face. "Except what?"

"You'd be alone." Dende said. "Vegeta said that you'd go looking for challenges. I'm guessing you wouldn't last more than a few minutes in there by yourself before charging back out here. And even if you brought someone with you, who's to say that you wouldn't destroy the doors in a rage?"

Gohan felt a lead weight sink into his stomach. "You… you think that would happen?"

"If that door goes, you're stuck forever." Dende said gravely. "I don't think we should risk that."

"Man…" Gohan paced back and forth in Dende's little bedroom. "What am I supposed to do Dende? I can't go into space because the lack of inactivity till I reach the next planet would doom us. I can't IT to another planet because it would doom the inhabitants of that planet. I can't use the hyperbolic time chamber because I might doom myself in a fit of rage."

Dende tracked Gohan with his eyes and with his ki as he paced. "Sorry Gohan. I don't know what to tell you." He shrugged. "Guess you're going to have to ride this out the old fashioned way."

Gohan groaned. "Yeah, but how? I don't want to see everything as a challenge. I don't want people treating me like a ticking time bomb either! I just… I just want to patch things up with Videl and… "

Dende watched, slightly tense, as Gohan seemed to slump where he stood. _Ahh, girl problems._ He smiled ruefully. "I can't help you with that either."

"Some guardian _you _are." Gohan muttered.

"Hey, you want to trade places?" Dende said with a cheeky grin. "You try dealing with all the problems of the world plus all you saiyans messing things up."

"Oh yeah?" The demi-saiyan put his hands on his hips. "Try evading an angry Videl through a day in high school. One day! Then on top of that, try keeping your powers secret from everyone while suffering from stupid saiyan hormones. Then, after they've ridiculed you and your family, go ahead and help them with their petty little problems. See how long you last."

Dende was slightly taken aback. "It's been that rough for you?"

"Yes… no!" Gohan corrected himself. He frowned at the little guardian. "I mean it would be difficult for you, being Kami and all."

Dende shuffled back on the bed uneasily. He held up his hands in defense. "Sorry Gohan. No offense meant."

Gohan scowled. "Don't do that."

The little green man tensed fully, slightly afraid. "Do what?"

"That!" He gestured to Dende's body language. "Go all defensive on me! I'm not going to go on a berserker rage if you tick me off!"

Dende flinched. "Well, actually…"

"Are you kidding me?!" Gohan shook his head angrily, forestalling Dende's excuse. "No, you know what? Forget it. It's late, I'm going back home." He stiffly bowed to the guardian and left the room.

Dende watched his friend leave, shame filling his chest. He hadn't meant to raise his defenses. It happened unconsciously! He didn't mean to make Gohan feel that way. There was just something about him that put Dende on alert. Something instinctual within him was worried about survival.

He felt Gohan's ki leave the lookout. His friend was really feeling the effects of the hormones. Gohan never would've gotten so easily aggravated before. He was far too laid back to take personal offense like that. If this was any indication of how bad things were going to get… The little namekian grimaced in a very ungodly manner.

_This is going to suck._

* * *

**A/N:** And there you have it! Gohan's berserker tendencies are on the way!  
*studio audience applause*  
I know some of you want angsty angsty Gohan to make an appearance. Like… go all hardcore on the pathetic humans of high school. Those kind of stories are extremely popular methinks. While I don't intend for him to go all Vegeta on them, believe me when I say he's going to be struggling badly. Things are gonna escalate rather quickly in the next chapter.

*pulls out megaphone*  
ALRIGHT PEOPLE. THIS NEXT BIT'S GONNA BE ROUGH. PLEASE KEEP YOUR HANDS AND ARMS INSIDE THE RIDE UNTIL IT COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP.  
Hold on to your butts.

Thanks for reading! If you are one of the lovelies that happen to leave me a review, I just wanna let you know that I appreciate it like nothing else. I may not always respond (I don't have internet in my apartment) but know that I appreciate it nonetheless. Thanks again! :D


	27. Struggling Through

**DISCLAIMER: **And I said nooooo no, NOOOOO no no no. I said noooo no, I don't own DBZ.

Ch. 27: Struggling Through

* * *

Light broke over the horizon, sending bright rays of sunshine down on the world of man. The light bathed the world in warmth. Animals and people alike woke up to start the day joyously. Birds filled the air with song, people filled their kitchens with delicious morning smells, and in the house of a certain family, one little boy went to wake up his big brother.

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAAN!" Goten charged into Gohan's room and pounced on his brother's stomach in the usual way. "Wake up big brother! It's tomorrow already!"

There was a rustle of movement as an arm appeared. Goten watched, intrigued as the arm waved about, feeling for something. It reached over to the little boy, patting him on the head, face and chest. Goten giggled and the hand gripped his shirt.

With a sudden flick of the wrist, Goten was sent sailing through the open window.

"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The owner of the arm grumbled and retracted it back into the warmth of the covers. Of course Goten would come and wake him up at the crack of dawn. That's just how it happened in his house. Gohan snuggled deeper under the covers and hoped that he threw him far enough away to get a few more minutes. One hour of sleep was simply not enough to go on.

He barely fell asleep again when something thumped into his stomach.

"Again!" Goten squealed. "Again big brother!"

"Rrrrg… Goten…" Gohan groaned, voice deep and gruff in the morning. "Buzz off."

"Buzz buzz!" Goten grinned cheekily. "C'mon Gohan! I want to play!"

"_I _want to sleep!"

"But sleeping is so boring!" Goten pouted. "Mom says breakfast won't be ready for a while yet and I'm so _bored_!"

Gohan shifted under the covers. "Go away."

"But Gohaaaaaan…"

"I said..." The same arm came out from beneath the covers and gripped his shirt again. Goten giggled as Gohan said, "_Go away!_" The little boy was sent flying once more. In fact, he went further than last time.

Gohan pulled his arm back in and sighed in irritation. _He'll be back for more._ And sure enough, even faster than last time, Goten was back and jumping on his stomach again.

"Seriously?!" Gohan surged out of bed and tackled the little demi-saiyan. "You are the MOST annoying alarm clock, EVER!" He wrestled with the little boy. "I thought I hit the snooze button twice already!"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Goten laughed. "Time to get up!"

"THAT'S IT!" Gohan shouted. He gripped his little brother by the back of the shirt and hurled him out the window as hard as he could. "SNOOZE BUTTON!"

Goten disappeared over the horizon.

The teen saiyan flopped back into bed, hoping that sleep hadn't deserted him. He lay there for a few minutes before hauling himself back up. Sleep was a jerk. He stumbled into the bathroom and cranked on the hot water. He stripped out of his pajama bottoms and stepped into the shower, not even bothering to check the temperature beforehand. The water beat its scalding tempo on his shoulders.

Over the sounds of water, he heard the loud chirping of birds. He could make out the sizzling sounds of his mother cooking up something in the kitchen. She was humming to herself and he bet she was sashaying around the kitchen like she did when she thought her boys weren't watching. His ears even picked up the distant triumphant roar of some large dinosaur.

_Glad to hear everyone is in a good mood._ Gohan grumbled mentally. Didn't nature care that he lost his dad yesterday? He grumped his way through his morning routine and plodded downstairs. He placed himself at the table and let his head thump gently to the tabletop.

Chichi turned and took in her son. "Oh! Good morning Gohan."

"G'mornin." Gohan mumbled.

She turned back to her cooking. "Rough night?" He grunted and she smiled. "Sorry to hear that." She expertly flipped a pancake and tended a pan of bacon. "I thought I heard Goten going to wake you up, but I didn't hear him come back down."

"Why do I even _have_ an alarm clock?" Gohan muttered.

"Aww, poor baby." Chichi turned and smirked at the dark look he gave her. "He's just excited to spend time with you."

"Can't he be excited after I wake up?" Gohan complained, letting his head thump back on the tabletop.

"You know how Goten is." Chichi chuckled. She poured another pancake and moved the bacon to a separate plate. "Anyways, I'm glad you came down. We need to discuss your attendance at school."

"My what?" Gohan pushed aside his irritation and looked up at her in surprise

"Do you feel comfortable going back in your condition?"

"My condition? Are you asking me if I _want_ to go?" Usually she doesn't ask. She just sends him.

"Well…" Chichi turned back to the stove anxiously, "I don't want another catastrophe if you can't control yourself tomorrow."

Indignation bristled through him. "Mom, I can control myself just fine. If anyone can't control themselves, it's the people there!"

"Gohan!" Chichi was startled. Did Gohan just badmouth his classmates? Her son would never do that!

He sighed. "Look mom, you may not believe it, but people don't like me there." He scowled at the table. "I've kept my control in front of them this whole time. I only lost control when they mocked dad. You know Piccolo helped me to get out so no one would get hurt. It turned out fine."

Chichi gazed at him with that concerned mothering look. It was one she'd shown him countless times before when she was hiding her true feelings. "So you're saying you'll go?"

"I'm saying I can handle it." Gohan sighed. "But that doesn't mean I'll go." _I don't want to deal with any more drama. _

"Nonsense. It's obvious that if you're going to fight me this much on it, you seriously want to go." Chichi gave a self satisfied little smirk. "It's good to see that you take schooling so seriously. I must've done a good job!"

He ran a hand down his face. _It figures. _"Fine, whatever." He stood from the table. "I'm going hunting."

"Fine by me." Chichi smiled at him, though her eyes held a slight glimmer of unease. "Breakfast won't be ready for a while yet. Go have some fun."

Gohan frowned. _She never gives in this easy_. Chichi never condoned hunting. Fishing was fine, but never hunting. She thought her precious baby boy might get hurt. Something was definitely up. "Mom."

She tensed. "Yes dear?"

"…" He ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated gesture. Her stiffened posture told him everything. "Never mind."_ Again with this. Even my own mother is scared of me._ He turned and walked out the door. "I'll be back."

"Okay Gohan. I'll send Goten out to find you when we're ready." She faced the stove again.

Gohan left the little house and stood on the lawn. He sighed. _How am I going to deal with this? I don't want people to be afraid of me. _He stretched his arms high, feeling his back pop satisfyingly. _A little exercise might help take my mind off of things_. He decided. Run through the forest. Train a bit. Hunt one of the larger dinosaurs, if he could find one close enough. Dino-burgers tasted good after a workout. He was about to jog off into the woods when he sensed his little brother's ki drawing closer.

He had to stifle a laugh as the little saiyan came into view. He was covered in sand and had little bits of seaweed sticking to his hair and clothes. He landed in front of Gohan with the most vicious pout on his face.

"Gohan! You threw me into the ocean!" He said angrily. "That was mean!"

"The ocean?" Gohan couldn't help but laugh, a bit surprised. "I didn't mean to throw you that far!" He really hadn't. The ocean was miles and miles away! Apparently he needed to watch his strength more carefully. He ruffled the black spikes, dislodging a few pieces of seaweed. "Sorry about that squirt."

"Yeah? Well mom's gonna make me take a bath." Goten made a face. "I hate baths."

"The sooner you take a bath, the sooner you can eat breakfast." Gohan shrugged, seeing his little brother's face light up at the mention of food. "Mom says it won't be done for a little while yet. If you hurry, you can just make it."

"Okay Gohan!" Goten charged the house. He vanished through the front door and Gohan heard his mother cry out about his appearance. He chuckled, mood improving. At least Goten didn't fear him. Not even in the slightest sense.

Gohan relaxed, clearing his mind. He scented the wind and sped off into the forest, leaving all thoughts behind him. It was time to hunt.

And so the day passed fairly peacefully.

* * *

Erasa silently filed her nails to perfection. Mondays. The perfect day to hate. Also the perfect day to make time for perfect nails. The teacher droning on and on about who knows what meant time for some personal grooming. With all the excitement over 'Satan Day' having died down over the weekend, there wasn't much more to do on a boring old school day. Plus it distracted her from having to wait for romantic drama. The bubbly blonde glanced at the empty chair to her right. Videl had yet to show up. After the carnival two days ago, Erasa had been itching to find out what exactly went on between her best friend and their adorkable classmate.

_Speaking of which,_ she turned to her left and looked at the other empty seat, _Gohan hasn't shown up yet either._ Perhaps they were fighting crime together? She sighed romantically. _It's just perfect! Secret identities, a secret love, protecting each other from crime…_ little hearts popped up in her eyes. The way Videl had denied talking about it told her that something steamy just HAD to have happened between them two days ago.

A seat away from her, Sharpner rolled his eyes. He knew that look. She was fantasizing about their friends again. He smiled to himself. She was so adorable. Forget Videl, Erasa was the girl for him. Her matchmaking created problems though. He'd have to work with her on that.

Erasa leaned towards him and spoke softly. "I wonder how Gohan and Videl are getting on. I'm almost positive they left the carnival for some _alone time._"

Sharpner smirked. "You mean like we did?"

"Sharpie!" She whispered harshly, biffing him on his good arm. "Don't say that in public!"

"But you say stuff like that all the time."

"Yeah, but like, not about myself!" She huffed. "Tell me you don't believe they totally hooked up after they ditched us like that?"

"I don't know Erasa." Sharpner shrugged. He was too busy trying not to barf at the time. He didn't pay attention to what was going on around him. "You said Videl didn't want to talk about it when you called her."

"Yeah, I guess." She said. "But it's Videl we're talking about here. You know she'd never admit to anything romantic. Besides, how could she resist making out with Gohan to the moon and back?"

Sharpner raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you wanted to do that."

"Nah. I'm not as crazy over Gohan like Videl is." She snickered. "I mean, did you see the looks she was shooting that lady who interrupted her on that one ride?"

"Yeah." Sharpner chuckled. "She looked about ready to smack her a good one." He brought his good hand down in a karate chop. "Right in the neck!"

Erasa giggled. "Something like that." They caught a look from the teacher and grew silent. The minutes passed slowly. Erasa was all but asleep when the door burst open and Videl skidded into the classroom.

"Sorry I'm late sir!" She said between huffs and puffs.

"That's alright Ms. Satan." The professor gestured to her seat. "Just glad you were able to make it to my class."

Videl trudged up to her seat and flopped down. Sharpner quirked an eyebrow at her. "Fighting crime?"

Videl growled at him. "No, my stupid alarm didn't go off."

"Whaaat?" Erasa looked at her in mock surprise. "And Prof. let you get away with it?"

"Hey, it's his fault he jumped to conclusions." Videl said derisively. "I'll take it. Today sucks bad enough without detention."

"What happened to honesty oh Miss Justice?" Sharpner quipped teasingly.

"Shut up Sharpner."

"Well aren't you just a bright ray of sunshine." Erasa countered sarcastically. Videl shot her a dirty look, but she just shook it off with a smirk. The bubbly blonde was about to start into another line of conversation, particularly about a certain hot superhero, when the door to the classroom slammed open with a loud bang. To everyone's utter surprise, Gohan stormed in. With the way the door had slammed open, they feared it was someone with power, like the principal on a bad day. When it was just their nerdy classmate, they sighed in relief. However, that relief was short lived as they looked closer.

Gohan's face was dark. Thunderous storm clouds would've been brighter. It wasn't an angry expression per say, but it quite intimidating. The students began muttering to each other uneasily. Something about him told the class that he was not to be trifled with. Not today.

The teacher cleared his throat nervously. "Good Kami Mr. Son! I know you are late, but that's no reason to give the rest of us a heart attack!"

Gohan bowed stiffly. "I'm sorry Prof. My alarm didn't go off this morning." His voice was gruff, but there was still a note of apology to it. He straightened and held out his hand. "I'll take my detention slip now."

The teacher gulped. Why did his brightest, most polite student suddenly seem so scary? "Ah… err… we'll just let this one slide for now. You look like you've had a pretty bad morning."

Gohan relaxed slightly, giving his professor a wry grin. "You could say that. Thank you sir." He turned and started up to his seat. About halfway up he paused and glanced at his friends. He stopped completely then, looking around the class and picking a new seat. The students around him scooted away slightly as he sat down. He noticed them inching away and sighed heavily, scowling at his desk.

Erasa was shocked. Him too? What was _up_ this morning? "Gohan!" She stage whispered. "What are you doing?!"

He turned and gave her an apologetic smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Erasa watched, completely bewildered as he turned his attention back to the lesson.

Sharpner, on the other hand, looked over at Videl. He leaned close and whispered, "What the heck did you _do_?"

Videl turned on him. "I didn't _do_ anything!" She snarled at him softly as to not attract attention. "Mind your own beeswax!"

Erasa's eyes widened. "Something DID happen between you and Gohan!" she said triumphantly.

Videl stiffened. Instead of responding, she picked up her books and paper. Wordlessly she took her things and moved to another seat. Sharpner watched her, surprised. He shared a look with Erasa. What in the world happened?

* * *

Gohan rubbed his eyes tiredly. _I hate school. Hate hate _hate_ school._ He hadn't lied to his professor. His alarm clock really failed to go off. Probably because he broke it after it rang the first time. Controlling his unruly power first thing in the morning wasn't easy after another mostly sleepless night. He woke up significantly later than normal and panicked. He basically had to get dressed and go, skipping breakfast. It was hard not to go super and rush to class. It was tougher still, seeing as how he was a little ticked off at his alarm clock.

Now he was stuck in class with twenty two other students and one bitter _Videl_. His eyes picked her out immediately when he came in. She didn't look happy to see him at _all_. So, he tried not to look at her. He sat down in his new spot, away from his friends, because sitting near her would probably end badly. Calming down was the first order of business. He focused on the lesson and tried not to think about Videl. For the most part, the demi-saiyan was successful in ignoring her presence.

But he could sense her.

He set his head in his hands. Her ki was driving him crazy. It called to him in a strange sort of way. It was as if he couldn't tear his senses from it. Why though? Was he that crazy about her? He shook his head. _I'm just letting guilt control my senses._

He could tell that she was just as agitated as he was. To try and make it easier, he avoided her. In turn, she avoided him. Half the day passed and it remained the same. If by chance their eyes happened to lock in the hallway, her ki would spike and she would immediately look away. It pained him to see what their relationship had become. He wanted to set it right. The teen saiyan didn't want to be enemies with Videl. Heck, he at least wanted to be able to talk to her! Out of respect, however, he chose to give her space. But for all his effort, he missed the friendly banter they used to have. He missed the excited gleam in her eyes as they talked about something she was passionate about. He missed the friendship they shared, however tentative and new it was. He ached for her.

Gohan didn't pay much attention to the class he was in. He fought down a groan as he glanced around. His classmates were still nervous around him. Why though? They didn't know about his power problems! They shouldn't be walking carefully around him, yet they were. Was it instinctual? Some deep seated self preservation part of their psyche? Whatever it was, it irritated Gohan to no end. He didn't want everyone to treat him like Vegeta! (OOOH somebody call the _burn _ward!)

The bell rang shrilly and Gohan got to his feet. _Lunchtime. _He left the classroom and headed to his locker, intent on putting his junk away before finding a place where he could be alone and sit through the period. He opened his locker and stopped.

Videl's ki was right behind him.

What did she want? Did she want to talk? Was she going to start screaming at him for something? Did she want to apologize? Frack! His nerves were frayed enough as it was! _Dende, if you're listening, please give me strength._ He plastered a false smile on his face and turned to meet her.

The false smile he'd managed to make disintegrated. She was looking at him with the most disdainful, angry look he'd ever seen on her face. _This isn't going to end well._

"Hey Videl."

"Gohan."

He took a deep breath. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.

"Yes."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What do you need?"

"I need to find the Gold Fighter." Videl scowled at him. "You're the only one I know who knows where he is."

"I already told you that I'm him." He said softly. Why would she ask him now? They were in a crowded hallway for pity's sake.

"And I already told you that I don't believe you." She countered. "Just tell me where to find him."

Gohan held his arms out to the sides. "I'm right here, Videl."

Videl grit her teeth. "You just don't know when to stop!"

"I'll stop when you believe me." He said firmly. "I swear I'm telling you the truth."

"Then prove it!" She stared at him hard, setting her hands on her hips. "Prove it to me right here, right now."

There was a note of pleading in her voice. Gohan tilted his head. Perhaps she had her doubts? Was there a chance that they could be friends after all? Hope tickled Gohan's heart. Then he remembered his own problems and it vanished. He shook his head slowly. "I can't."

The blue eyes crinkled in distress. She bit her lip. "Look, I sorry for hitting you Gohan. I know it was wrong and I regret it. It was just too much to take in and I don't know what to believe about you and... Please Gohan." She said softly. Her voice wavered with the plea. "Just do it. Don't think about the people around us. Please. Do it for me."

Gohan's chest tightened. _Shit._ Why oh why did he have to lie to her to start with? This sucks! Pain surfaced in his eyes as he spoke. "I'm sorry Videl. I physically can't control the power anymore. I can't do it."

For a split second, Videl was completely dejected at his response. Then immediately Videl's expression hardened. "That's what I thought." Gone was the soft supplication in her voice. She turned away from him and started walking. "More excuses. Well fine. Who cares? I don't need you. I'll find him myself."

_Damn it._ He took a step after her. "Videl I…"

"Shut up." Videl's voice was cold. She glared at him from the corner of her eye. "Don't talk to me." She paused and faced him more fully. The anger in her voice overwhelmed the hurt he heard. "You know what? If I get called out of class today, don't follow me. I don't need your help! I don't _want_ your help! I'm done with you."

Gohan felt something within him crack under her scorn. Little did he know that it was his fragile human heart. He watched Videl turn and walk away. After a moment of shock induced silence, he held a hand to his chest. Pain pulsed there. Anger built there. Hope died there. They mixed together and made him nauseous. He leaned back against the lockers and closed his eyes. In doing so, he heard the whispers from his peers all around him.

"Did you see that?"

"What did the nerd do?"

"It must've been something bad."

"I didn't know he was such a jerk!"

"He must really be a bad guy for Videl to hate him."

"I didn't like him much myself!"

"Yeah, me too!"

"I knew there was something off about that freak."

Gohan tilted his head back and covered his eyes with his forearm to hide the emotions coursing through his being. _I should've known._ Gohan cursed himself. _I should've known this would happen._ But how could he? He was in love. Nothing on earth could've prepared him for the denial and fallout of that. He didn't want his heart to break, but the damage was already done.

He just had to keep from getting upset. Stay calm… stay calm.

"Gohan! Oh Goooooohaaaaaan!"

He moved his arm from his face. _Erasa._ She looked happy. She probably wasn't privy to what just happened. "Hey Erasa."

"OHMYGOSH Gohan! You've GOT to tell me the juicy details! Where have you been like, this whole time?"

Gohan took a shaky breath. He tried to steady his ki. _Stay calm. She doesn't know. Just stay calm._

Sharpner, who was following his girlfriend, gently set his hand on Erasa's shoulder. He didn't know what happened either, but he knew that look on Gohan's face. "Hey man. Wanna eat lunch together?"

Gohan looked at him sadly. "Sure." He left for the roof, followed by his two blonde friends. They settled down and Gohan sank against the waist high wall with a sigh. He closed his eyes and focused on regaining control of his calm. They looked at him curiously, but didn't speak.

After a while of sitting in silence, Gohan huffed. "Alright… you guys are obviously itching to ask me something." He crossed his arms. "Out with it."

"Did you do it?" Erasa blurted. "Did you totally get with Videl after the carnival? Are you guys an item? Did you pop her cherry? Did you-"

"ERASA!" Gohan's face turned super red despite earlier events. He hadn't expected that. "NO! NONONO! Why would you even suggest that!?" Him and Videl? Doing things? IN BED!? The mere thought of it was enough to make Gohan want to spontaneously combust.

Sharpner facepalmed. "Erasa… if they did that, they wouldn't be avoiding each other." Sometimes he had to wonder about his girlfriend.

"Well you know how Videl is. She'd never admit it." Erasa giggled. "Sorry Gohan. I only meant to ask you if everything went well. Videl hasn't told me _anything_." Hearts filled her eyes. "I bet you came clean to her and she realized how much she loved you and the two of you made out until sunset under her father's nose." She gasped at the realization. She failed to notice how Gohan's blush disappeared. How pale his face was becoming. "Gohan! You're gonna have to fight Mr. Satan now! If you're seriously gonna date Videl, you have to do it! Oh how romantic! Fighting her father to prove how worthy you are to ask for Videl's hand in marriage! You have a harsh battle, but Mr. Satan comes to see your honest heart and fighting spirit and finds you adequate, throwing the fight and giving you his blessing to woo the most beautiful Vi-"

"We're not dating!" Gohan shouted angrily, slamming concrete with his fist, effectively silencing Erasa. A sizeable crack appeared beneath his hand. Gohan looked at the crack and swore. He raised his eyes back to his stunned friends. "We're not dating." He said firmly.

Sharpner looked from Erasa to the crack the roof and up to Gohan. That was a little scary. Gohan would never have gotten so angry before. He frowned. "Dude… what happened?"

Gohan slumped back against the wall. _Might as well tell them. _He rubbed his eyes with his hand. "She didn't believe me."

Erasa gasped. "She _didn't_?!"

"No." Gohan let out a shuddering sigh. He lowered his hand and stared at the cracked concrete. His voice was distressed. "She didn't even listen when I tried to explain myself."

Sharpner facepalmed. Beside him, Erasa shook her head. "I don't get it. She should've been relieved. Ecstatic even." She frowned at Gohan. "Why didn't she believe you?"

"I don't know." Gohan ran a hand through his spikes of hair. "I didn't think I was that good in convincing her we were two different people…" he muttered.

Sharpner leaned forward, getting frustrated. "You've been hiding it from day one! What did you expect? Damn Son! (lol)" He glared at him accusingly. "She won't even look at you now! What _happened_?"

Gohan didn't raise his eyes from the roof. "I told her who I was. She didn't want to listen. When I kept going," he chuckled mirthlessly, "she slapped me."

Sharpner was shocked. "She _what_?"

"She slapped me." He repeated. "Slapped me so hard I think it might've sprained her wrist."

Erasa was equally as shocked. She looked at Sharpner. "She would never try to hurt you unless you were committing a crime, insulting her, or were trying to hit on her." She looked back to Gohan. "You didn't try to hit on her did you?"

"Are you kidding?" Sharpner scoffed. "This is Gohan we're talking about. Mr. goody-two-shoes wouldn't flirt with Videl like that." He teased, trying to lighten the mood. When Gohan shot him a dirty look, he flinched. "Sorry…"

"Let's just say we aren't on speaking terms anymore." Gohan said scornfully. His voice still held that deep note of sorrow. "Can we talk about something else?"

Erasa and Sharpner swapped a look. Something else was going on here. The muscular blonde teen cleared his throat. "Uh… well, just one more question. Why don't you show her? You know… go all gold on her?"

"Yeah! She could never deny that kind of proof!" Erasa leaned forward excitedly. "She'll apologize in a heartbeat!"

"It's not that easy Erasa." Gohan looked away. "It's complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"I… can't do it." Gohan admitted bitterly. "I can't go gold."

"But why? It seemed easy enough last week!"

Gohan shot her a look. "Don't you remember what happened after I left?"

"Well yeah." She held up her hand and counted on her fingers. "I had to carry Sharpie back to the nurse's office, which was a pain in the butt by the way…"

"Hey!"

She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's indignant squawk. "Then we had that huge earthquake. School was cancelled, but we weren't allowed to leave until the tremors stopped. It was a total drag. Be glad you weren't around for it."

"Yeah well… I'm really sorry about that."

"Sorry?" Erasa looked at him quizzically. "But you weren't the reason for all that." She trailed off at Gohan's sheepish expression. "Were you?

"Well actually..."

"Wait… that was you?"

"Yeah."

Sharpner's jaw dropped. "You're kidding me right?"

"Afraid not." Gohan winced at his expression. "Like I said before, I can't control my power well recently. It was the same at the carnival. After Videl slapped me, I uh… I went gold and caused that other earthquake. If my father hadn't stopped me…" Gohan cleared his throat. "I was told that if I transform again, I'll probably go mad with power."

"That means… that means you can't give her any physical proof!" Sharpner exclaimed. "Good Kami that sucks!"

The dark eyed teen nodded. "Tell me about it."

"There's got to be some other way." Erasa reasoned. "Don't you have any other proof?"

Gohan shrugged miserably. "The only proof apart from my own testimony comes from other witnesses. With my luck, Videl would probably think I bribed them or something." He slumped. "It doesn't matter anyway."

"What do you mean? C'mon, man. Don't be so harsh on Videl. Having a dad like Hercule keeps you in the limelight to the point where you have to question everyone's motives." Sharpner pointed out.

Erasa agreed. "Yeah. She totally has problems trusting people. Especially the ones she loves."

There was a pause. _Did… did she just say what I think she said? _Gohan's brain stopped. Erasa slapped her hands over her mouth.

If Sharpner kept facepalming, he'd have a flat face before he graduated. "Too soon Erasa! Too soon!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that! I mean… it's just so obvious!" Erasa protested, a blush on her face. "Oh I'm such an idiot sometimes!"

Gohan reeled. _They think… she's in love with me? Videl? After what she said today? HA. That's funny. No. _He shook his head. _This is Erasa telling me this. She didn't see what happened. She still thinks we could be good. _Gohan took a deep breath to steel himself against his feelings. He smiled weakly at Erasa. "It's okay Erasa, but she's not interested in me anymore." Even as he said the words, his broken heart sank to the pit of his stomach, squelching whatever appetite he might have had left. He clenched his fists and the weak smile he summoned disappeared. "Whatever we might've had is gone. I ruined it by not telling her the truth from the get go."

Erasa looked pained. "But…"

"But nothing." Gohan stood to his feet. "I thought I was doing the right thing by hiding my secrets. In the beginning I knew nothing about her except that she was too nosy for her own good. Now though…" He hopped up on the wall and stared out over the city. "She's made it abundantly clear. Whatever we might've had is gone."

"But Gohan!" Erasa stood up behind him. "You're so head over heels for her! I know it! You know it! Heck, even Sharpner knows it! You're in love with her! You can't just give up like that!"

"What choice do I have?" Gohan said sharply. "It's her life! She can decide what to do with it. If she doesn't believe me, fine! If she doesn't want to have anything to do with me, fine!" Gohan looked sidelong at Erasa, eyes flashing with hurt and anger. "She made her choice!"

Erasa swallowed nervously. "But if you just talk to her…"

"I TRIED that! I'm not doing it again! I'm not going to go pleading to her to reconsider! She HATES me! I know that if I try to persuade her again, I'll just get angry! If I get angry, I might transform!" Gohan's voice increased in volume. His emotions were slowly eclipsing his control. A warm wind stirred the dark spikes of his hair. "I'm not willing endanger everyone's lives! I'm not willing to risk _her_ life on the chance that she may believe me! No amount of reconciliation would ever be enough to replace _losing_ her! It's OVER!"

Erasa's eyes went wide. She backed up, nearly tripping over Sharpner who sat frozen on the ground. They were suddenly, utterly terrified of Gohan.

_Shit!_ Gohan swore mentally. _Now they're afraid of me too! Nice going genius!_ He growled, "I'm leaving. See you guys next period." _This is too much._ _I need to expel some energy. _He lifted into the air and shot away from the school, blazing a trail through the air as his aura flared around him.

The blondes watched him sail away. He was lost to view and they let out a breath that neither had realized they were holding. Erasa looked at her boyfriend, an expression of worry on her face.

"What is going on?!"

Sharpner shook his head, obviously shaken up. "I don't know. Whatever it is, looks like they won't be getting back together." He let out a slow breath. "I don't think I've ever seen Gohan so worked up. Not even when Videl told him off last week. She really must've done a number on him this time."

"I can't believe it! After all that's happened…" Erasa scowled. "Oooh that girl! I'm gonna have a word with her!" She stomped back across the roof. "And believe me, it ain't gonna be a nice word!"

* * *

Videl stared at the school lunch in front of her. _Figures we have mystery meat on the day I forget to pack._ She shoved the offending tray away from her. _Not on your life._ Today was turning out to be another train wreck. The crime fighter hadn't wanted to cause a scene, but how else was she supposed to talk to Gohan after what she did to him at the carnival? Videl was positive he hated her guts. It was hard enough having to bear meeting his eyes in the hallway. They burned through her and filled her with the guilt she didn't want to face.

Then he refused to give her the proof she so desperately needed. She was hurt and once again reacted out of anger. How she wished her life had an undo button. Things were not going well at all.

Videl was about to go back to class to distract herself from everything when she saw Erasa out of the corner of her eye. Her normally cheerful friend was stomping through the cafeteria with a downright furious look on her face. Their eyes locked and Videl involuntarily swallowed.

"Videl!" Erasa shouted, dashing towards her friend. Students around them looked on in surprise. Was that Erasa just now? Talk about out of character!

Videl crossed her arms and faced her friend. Not wanting to show fear. Or any other emotion for that matter. "What do you want Erasa?"

"I _need_ to talk to you!" Erasa grabbed at Videl's wrist. "Now!" She tried to pull her away, but Videl remained unmoving. Erasa applied the full force of her weight against her, but to no avail. She grunted and strained for a minute before giving up. She should've known that she couldn't budge the strongest female in the school.

Erasa deflated and looked at Videl almost tearfully. "Please Videl? Just talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Please don't lie… Something's going on between you and Gohan."

Videl stiffened. She ripped her hand out of Erasa's grip and walked away from her best friend. Kami, she couldn't catch a break could she? "Don't talk to me about that jerk."

"Jerk? What are you talking about Videl?" Erasa asked after her. Videl just kept walking.

"Didn't you hear?" A passing student leaned over and said. "The whole school's talking about it! Videl _hates_ that guy. She called him out in the hallway and everything! He must be a really bad dude to make her so angry like that."

Erasa's eyes widened. She stared at her classmate for a second before chasing after Videl. They both entered the classroom long before the next period would start. Erasa shut the door behind her and plopped herself down on the desk in front of her friend. "Okay Videl. I need some answers and I need them now."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"That's crap and you know it!" Erasa crossed her arms over her ample chest. "I'm your best friend! You can't hide it from me! Now tell me! What happened on Saturday?"

Videl winced. _Gah. I hate it when she gets like this._ There were times when Erasa was like a bloodhound. She wouldn't let up until she got what she wanted. Better to get it over with now rather than later."I talked to Gohan." She muttered.

Erasa frowned. "Aaaaaaaand?"

"And I learned a few harsh truths."

"Harsh truths?" Erasa leaned forward. "Girl, you're not making sense! What _happened_ between you and Gohan?"

"Why are you asking me?!" She snapped at her, anger being the first to rear its ugly head from the miasma of emotions swirling in her gut. "You already heard what happened from _him_!"

The busty blonde bristled. "Well excuse me for wanting to hear your side of things!"

"Since when did you ever care about my side of things?! Ever since _he _showed up, you've only supported _Gohan_ and his _stupid _lies!"

"That's not true!"

"Oh yeah?! How about that time in the classroom?! What about that conversation in the locker room?! Did you _ever _stop to think how I felt about _anything_ you said to me?!"

"Of _course_ I did! You said yourself that I was right!"

"It still hurt Erasa!"

"Sorry I hurt your _stupid pride_! Best friends tend to do that!"

"I guess they do when it's about _stupid lying jerks!_"

"_He's_ _not lying_ Videl!"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" Videl felt her angry facade crumple. The turmoil of emotions in her chest reached the breaking point and all clamored to have their say. Tears broke free from her eyes and streaked down her face. "How do you know he's not lying?!"

Erasa was stunned. In all her years of best friendship, she'd never seen Videl cry over anything other than her mother. Her anger dissolved. "Videl…"

"I don't know!" Videl interrupted. She fisted her hands. "I don't know what to believe anymore! First he's one thing, then he's another!" She pushed her fists against her eyes. "I wanted to believe him, Erasa! Kami I wanted to believe him so bad! But he said that he's the same person… he said that he's the Gold fighter and I… I hit him! I hit him Erasa!" She slumped forward in her chair. "I slapped him and… and the look on his face… I didn't know what to do…"

Erasa watched in shock as Videl sobbed quietly into her hands. This obviously went deeper than Videl was letting on. Slowly, Erasa slid off the desk and walked over to Videl. She pulled up a chair and sat down, resting her elbows on her knees. She reached over and gently rubbed Videl's shoulders, not saying a word.

Videl shuddered. "I thought… I thought was falling in love with him Erasa."

Wisely, Erasa kept her thoughts to herself and rubbed Videl's shoulders soothingly.

"I thought that…I thought that if he told me everything, there'd be nothing between us. No secrets… No more lies. Then he goes and…" She sobbed. "He says that he's the… the Gold Fighter."

"Shh…" Erasa soothed.

"Why? Why did he have to tell me that? I didn't believe him. I _don't_ believe him." She pulled at her pigtails. "How could I? I thought that… it would be too simple and… and then… my dad…" She trailed off into tears, crying gently into her arms.

"Shh Videl." Erasa pulled her into a hug. "It's okay."

"No!" Videl pulled away from her friend, shaking her head. "No it's not okay! You don't get it!"

"Videl," the blond set her hands on Videl's shoulders, "if I don't get it, tell me."

The raven haired girl shook her head. "No I… you don't understand… my dad…"

"Videl, tell me."

Blue eyes met blue eyes. The crime fighter's thoughts immediately sprang to panic in the streets, public ridicule, losing her best friend. _She can't find out. _Videl's voice was barely above a whisper. "I can't."

"That's okay." Erasa said gently. "You're still my best friend. I trust you."

Videl broke down fully and wept, leaning into Erasa's shoulder. The blonde held her tight, rubbing small circles on her back. How much did Videl envy Erasa for that trust? How much did she want to freely trust someone like that? They sat there for the remainder of the lunch period.

The bell rang just as the tide of tears subsided. Videl sat back, breathing shakily, looking slightly better. "Thanks Erasa."

"Yeah." Erasa nodded. Videl probably needed that. Then again, this little breakdown didn't solve anything. She cleared her throat. "Why don't you just talk to Gohan? You know… apologize for hitting him and get back to being friends?"

"I tried that." Videl shook her head. "Don't think we can be friends."

"Why not?" Erasa asked softly. "I mean… _I_ believe him. Can't you just take my word for it?"

"No. I know what you believe, but I need to find out for myself."

"Why? Why do you have to have proof before you believe someone?" Erasa searched her eyes. "Can't it be enough to trust him at his word? You _know_ him, Videl. Would Gohan ever lie to you?"

"I thought I knew him. But then again, who _is _Gohan anyway? A superhero? A classmate? A fighter? I don't know." Videl said sadly. "I thought it was plausible at one point. He could very well be the same guy, but it's too easy. Too much like a setup. I'm not willing to be taken in like that. I don't want to be lied to anymore Erasa. I need proof."

"But…" Erasa worried at her lip. "You like him, so…"

"There's more to a relationship than liking someone Erasa." Videl said bitterly. "I don't want to be angry with him. I don't want to treat him like an enemy, but what choice do I have? He keeps lying to me and I…" She shook her head, resolve returning slowly. "Anyway, I asked him to come clean earlier. Show me that he was the Gold Fighter. He could've, but he didn't. He kept making excuses. Well, I don't need him. I'll find the real Gold Fighter myself."

Erasa's face fell further. "But… don't you want to know why he didn't give you proof?"

She hesitated. _Yes I do._ "I… don't." Videl watched as the door opened and students came pouring in. She stood from the desk and went to her new seat. As she left, Erasa heard her echo Gohan. "It doesn't matter anyway. What's done is done. It's over now."

* * *

**A/N:** AGH. RAGHGHAGHGH PAGH.  
This… this is the chapter I HATE. Five re-writes. FIVE! WHY BRAIN WHY.  
AUGH. I need to go to Coney Island.

Okay guys. I know there's a lot of Videl haters out there. But think about it. She's a cop. Betcha she was tricked one too many times in the field. Now everything is treated with suspicion. Add her discovery about her dad to that and BAM. You got yourself a very emotionally frustrated young lady. She knows how she feels for Gohan, but she doesn't want to get led on again.

Plus… the extra dramas make for a better snapping point. Wish Gohan luck!  
Read and Review. I beseech you!


	28. The Not-so-Calm Before

**A/N:** Hey hey peoples. I know it's been a few months and I apologize for updating so late. Life gets in the way of stuff you wanna do. BTW, there's something I need to tell you guys.

I am an adult and I can take a hint.

I know there's a lot of… I want to call it character development, some people call it stalling… in my story. It's taking away from the plot and you guys are sick of it. I get it. Ya'll wanna see this thing come full circle. Get it done. Bust some heads. 'GET THE LEAD OUT HIPSTERGECKO!'  
Alright. I'm down. Sure. Fine. Let's cut out the dragging stuff and jump right into the thick of it.

**DISCLAIMER:** Do you even lift? I don't own DBZ.

Ch. 28: The Not-So-Calm Before

* * *

"Oh Sharpner, isn't there anything we can do?"

Sharpner shook his head. "I don't think so. You know Videl. Dead set in her ways."

The buff blonde had found his girlfriend sitting at her desk, silent and sullen. He gently coaxed the story out of her over the course of two class periods. He was kind of shocked to hear about Videl's breakdown, but he was more alarmed by Erasa's response. Frankly put, Erasa felt helpless. She didn't know how to fix this. She felt very guilty about messing everything up for her friends, even though the drama wasn't really her fault. He tried to get her to cheer up, but couldn't quite bust her out of her emotional funk.

"I hate this." She said after a while. "Gohan won't talk to her and Videl doesn't want to be anywhere near him. They both hurt each other from being so stubborn about things and now they won't listen to us and I don't know what to do and…"

"Shhh… it's okay." Sharpner squeezed her hand under the desk. They'd gone through this once before, but with more tears. Made a bit of a scene in study hall. "Just think of it like… like an episode of ways of our beloved."

She looked at him, confusion slowly overtaking the dismay on her face. "An… episode of ways of our beloved?"

"Yeah. You know… the one where Dominic has that falling out with Cindy over a misunderstanding with Charles?"

"Is that the episode where…" Erasa paused with a semi-humorous look on her face. "Wait, you watch ways of our beloved?"

"My mom does." Sharpner said quickly. "It's not like we stream it online or stay up late hollering at Dominic's lack of common sense or anything."

The busty blonde giggled, mood improving. "I never knew you had a weakness for soaps."

"I don't! I'm just saying that it's the same kind of situation."

Erasa nodded. "It really is. Kami it's so… frustrating! Why can't they both just… get _over_ themselves?"

Sharpner tilted his head. "Ya know, it's mostly Videl."

His girlfriend shot him a dirty look. "It's BOTH of them!"

He held up his hands in defense. "Hey, you know she's more stubborn than he is! That's all I'm saying." He sighed. "Trust me. Videl was my babe ever since we started senior high."

"Sharpner, she was never your babe."

He shrugged. "Whatever. It's just hard to see them like this, you know?"

"Tell me about it." Erasa groaned. "This is like, not the kind of drama we should be dealing with. I just wish we had some kind of proof to convince Videl that Gohan's telling the truth." She looked down at her textbook and muttered, "Hope he's okay."

Sharpner looked down a few rows to the empty desk. Gohan didn't come back after lunch. He knit his eyebrows together. This did not bode well.

"Yeah, he'll be fine." _Hopefully. _That's all they could really do. Hope. Hope that things weren't spiraling out of control. Hope that Gohan would be able to handle himself with all that power he couldn't handle or whatever. He sighed, leaning back in his chair to gaze at the ceiling.

Proof.

It all came down to hard evidence. Videl told Erasa that it was the only thing she'd believe. The real problem was that they didn't have any. Heck the only thing that told them Gohan was the Gold Fighter was all the circumstantial evidence. Guesswork! Even then Gohan tried denying it until they caught him on camera…

Sharpner's eyes went wide. "That's it!" He stood up suddenly, startling the whole class.

"What's it, Mr. Pencil?" The teacher asked. She narrowed her eyes at her student. "I highly doubt that at this point in the year you finally have an epiphany about paying attention to the things I'm teaching."

The muscular blond blushed and sat back down, muttering an apology. The teacher resumed teaching after a few titters of laughter from the class. Erasa herself giggled and shot a questioning glance at her boyfriend.

Sharpner leaned over and whispered, "You still have that picture of Gohan on your phone?"

Erasa stared at him blankly for a moment. Then her jaw dropped. "OH MY KAMI!"

The teacher looked up from her lesson, irritated. "You too Miss Rubbers? I swear, you should've had this realization at the beginning of the year."

"No ma'am!" She squeaked, blushing just as badly as Sharpner had. She buried her face in her textbook and tried to ignore the laughter of her classmates. When the giggles had died down she whispered out of the side of her mouth. "I _totally_ forgot about that!"

**(A/N: I seriously forgot about that. Thanks go to Iwik and Anno2270. You got me out of a plot hole, you little geniuses you.)**

She fumbled around in her bag for a moment. She pulled out her phone and thumbed through the pictures. Finally finding the picture of a glowing Gohan, she grinned triumphantly at Sharpner.

"I could kiss you right now!"

Sharpner waggled his eyebrows at her, incredibly pleased with himself. "Please do."

"Later Sharpie." She wiggled with excitement. "Kami, how could we forget about this!? This is perfect! Videl's sure to believe us now!" It was true. This was irrefutable evidence.

Together, they waited less than patiently for class to end. It was go time! Time for Videl to face the truth. How would she react? How would she take the news that she was wrong?

The bell rang. Mere seconds later, Videl's watch sounded an alarm.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Erasa cried angrily. She ignored the angry glare of the teacher and leapt out of her chair, dashing up the stairs to where Videl was sitting. Just before the female crime fighter hit the com button, Erasa grabbed her wrist and ripped the device away from her in a surprising show of strength. Videl stared at her best friend, jaw hanging loose as Erasa chucked the watch out the window.

"Erasa! What the hell!?"

"You are NOT leaving! There is something much more serious at stake here!"

Videl glared at her. "More important than the safety of the city?!"

Erasa matched the glare with one of her own. "Just… let Saiyaman take care of it!"

Videl's eyes darkened instantly. "No way in hell." She spat. She stood from her desk, staring Erasa down with a vicious scowl. "Get out of my way!"

"Videl no!" Erasa was losing her. "Please, just listen to me!" Videl was already muscling past her. She held out her phone. "Look, I know that you may not believe me, but this is important! Important enough that you have to leave saving the day to someone else this time!"

Videl ignored her. Erasa's heart sank as she watched her best friend walk towards the door. The blonde hurried after her, trying to think of a way to get her to at least _look_ at the photo before she was lost to the mayhem of the end of school rush.

Abruptly, seemingly out of nowhere, Sharpner stood in the doorway, blocking the exit. Erasa felt a huge grin cross her face. Oh yeah, he was getting more than just a kiss for that.

Videl pinned him a hard glare. "Move Sharpner."

The burly blonde swallowed. He held up his still casted arm. "You wouldn't hit guy with a broken arm, would you?"

Videl tensed up. Sharpner flinched nearly simultaneously. Erasa seized the moment and thrust the phone in Videl's face.

"Just _look_!"

Videl hesitated and then let her eyes focus on the small screen. Her breath caught in her throat. Whatever threat she'd been about to evoke died on her lips. Her eyes widened as she took in the picture.

Gohan was glowing _gold_.

* * *

"What's the problem, chief?"

"Saiyaman! Thank Kami you're here!" The chief of police deflated slightly in relief as Saiyaman descended from the sky. "We need your help! Earlier today, a gang of mobsters broke their boss out of the penitentiary. We nearly caught them, but they made it to the judge who put him away. They're holding him and his family hostage. We're pretty sure they aren't going to keep them alive much longer. "

Gohan's muscles bunched in anger. _Those lowlifes. _

"They're heavily armed, but haven't killed anyone yet as far as we are able to tell." The chief sighed heavily. "The SWAT team is on their way, but we just can't get in there. They have too many men and too much cover. We'd be blown to bits." The chief looked at the superhero in earnest. "We've got the place surrounded, but there's not much more we can do. Frankly, we're just waiting for their demands at this point."

Gohan's eyes narrowed beneath his helmet. "And Videl?"

If the chief was startled at Gohan's gruff voice, he didn't show it. He was a professional after all. "Couldn't reach her on the com link. The batteries must've died again or something." He ran a hand through his short cropped hair tiredly. "I'd about given up hope till you showed up."

Gohan nodded. Beating up some criminals seemed like some well needed stress relief. Simply flying around to let off energy wasn't working. Granted his ki had ceased to fluctuate so erratically, but was still too high to be called normal. Plus he was agitated to the point of not being able to return to school. His friends were scared of him now. He wasn't ready to face that.

He rolled his shoulders and allowed the heightened ki to pump through his body a little freer than he should have. "I'll handle it."

The chief watched with wide eyes as Gohan phased out of normal human vision. He darted to and fro, weaving unseen between cops and gangsters alike until he was inside the house. Once there, he paused, hidden behind a doorframe.

_Calm down._ The ki he let loose was starting to make his skin itch. It raced hot through his body and pounded in his mind. _This is bad. I've got to stay in control. Keep it together Gohan. _He took a deep even breath and turned to face the room.

The gangsters looked up in surprise. The boss, or at least the one in the orange prison uniform, was speaking roughly to the judge when Gohan arrived. He ran out of words as he straightened, looking for all the world like a man caught with his pants down. The judge, a short slightly portly man in his thirties, looked surprised but infinitely relieved.

"Let the judge and his family go and no harm will come to you." Gohan said evenly, not even bothering to use his superhero voice. Too much of his brain was focused on not taking all the guns and all the obvious fighters in the room as a challenge. He wasn't succeeding. There were more guns than you could shake a stick at. More men than he had anticipated. It was painfully tempting to accept the challenge.

Some of the men in the room exchanged a nervous glance. How did this guy get in here? They had the house locked down! Not even the SWAT team could case the house as well as they did and here this guy just waltzes in like he owned the place! True they had always made fun of the so called superhero in private, but most of them had never really faced him down in a situation like this. The few who had were more than ready to drop their guns and go with the police.

But the boss just laughed.

"Do you really think I would bust outta the slammer to be bossed around by a fancy pants do-gooder like you?" His laughter turned into a sneer. "You little punk. You worthless little puke! If I were a lesser man, I'd whack the judge right now and there'd be nothing you could do about it!" He motioned with his gun to the judge's family sitting at gunpoint not five feet away from him. "But I'm smarter than that. Why waste a good opportunity? I'm gonna take everything he loved away from him first. Just to hear him scream and beg me not to. He took my life from me, now I'm gonna take his."

Gohan clenched his teeth. His ki pulsed angrily alongside his heartbeat. "I won't let you."

The boss laughed again. It was a horrible, sinister sound. "You think you can stop me? You've got balls if not brains kid." He gestured to his men and they lifted their guns. All of them, but for the ones leveled at the judge and his family, pointed at Gohan. "You're surrounded. I can do whatever I damn well please! You can't do anything without my say so."

The man grinned mockingly. "And I say you die."

Then the judge's son started crying. His mother made shushing noises, but it looked like she too was on the brink of tears. The boss spared an annoyed glance over at the kid who was no older than 8. He motioned with his gun.

"Shut the brat up for me, will ya?"

One of the thugs behind them nodded. He leaned over and smacked the child roughly. "Quit cryin'." It just made him cry harder. The thug growled menacingly and brought the butt of his gun swiftly down on the head of the young boy. There was a loud crack and the child collapsed.

Gohan saw red.

The next few seconds were a blur of sound and movement. There was screaming, gunfire, and light as Gohan moved with speed impossible for the mobsters to comprehend. Guns fell to the floor, useless. Mobsters dropped, unconscious or groaning in pain and worse. Blood poured from broken noses. Few held limbs that were severely warped, broken and bent, pooling blood on the floor where they lay.

Gohan himself held the mob boss by the throat. The man scrabbled at the hand squeezing the life from him. He could not for the life of him figure out how that happened. Then again, he was probably only thinking about how he was going to die.

His eyes shifted to the side and he managed a grin.

"Drop da boss!" Cold steel pressed against the superhero's helmet. Reinforcements from outside the house had arrived. The gun bumped against Gohan's head a little harsher. "Drop 'im!"

When the superhero didn't move, he turned to the family who had reunited, holding their son with wild fear filled eyes. "Drop 'im, or we shoot da kid!"

Gohan punched him through a wall.

He tumbled out onto the street, sending the policemen into a state of hysteria. There were calls for ambulances and reinforcements.

Those around them found themselves frozen with fear. One of the mobsters screamed and unloaded his clip at the masked man. The superhero turned his head and caught the bullets with his free hand. He let them drop to the floor before looking back at the boss. He paused for a moment, then reached up and flicked his visor open.

The mob boss recoiled in terror.

He had red eyes.

"I will not kill you." The voice coming from this guy struck fear in the hearts of all those conscious. "Though I don't doubt you deserve what's coming to you after death." He brought the man in close, staring into his eyes with that piercing, mad red gaze. "But I promise you, if you _ever_ so much as look at this family the wrong way again, I will personally escort you to the afterlife." The boss trembled and choked out something like a plea.

Gohan didn't hear them, but more sensed their arrival. He dropped the mob boss to the floor and turned to the remaining mobsters. "Drop your weapons and I'll let the SWAT team handle you."

They dropped their weapons. They don't cover freak-jobs like this in villain school. Moments later, the SWAT team swarmed the house and started cuffing and hauling bad guys out into the street. If they were shocked, they didn't show it. They were professionals after all.

Gohan took a deep breath. The red haze lifted from his eyes. _That went over well._ The challenge was won. There was no need to fight any longer, or so he hoped. It was too close a call to be comfortable about that fact. The only thing that stopped him from killing the boss in his battle lust was the sudden intrusion of reinforcements. One of which he really hadn't meant to punch through a brick wall. He flipped his visor back down and turned to the family. "Are you alright?" He said, trying to steady his voice.

The judge looked up at him fearfully, but nodded. The wife stared at him, unabashedly terrified. Gohan moved closer to them and she screamed.

"Don't come any closer you… you monster!"

Gohan froze. _Monster. I'm… a monster? _His anger returned, singing beside the deep hurt surging in his chest. A red haze started in on the sides of his vision. His heartbeat pulsed hot under his skin. Things were about to go very wrong when he was saved by the judge.

"Ginger! He just saved our lives!" The judge said severely to his wife. "Those men would've done much worse things to us if he hadn't stopped them!" He looked at Gohan as apologetically as he could. "Please forgive her."

_Yeah right. More like 'oh Kami please don't hurt us'. _Who did the judge think he was fooling? This close to them, the demi-saiyan could practically smell the fear pouring off of him. Gohan shook his head. That was silly. You can't smell fear. He was about to make a nasty retort when the little boy moaned. He took another deep breath and barely regained his composure. "It's nothing." Gohan said gruffly. He looked at the child lying in his mother's arms. "How is he?"

The judge looked down at his son. The fear there morphed into worry. "He… I think he'll be okay. He's taken worse hits to the head in baseball."

Gohan looked closer at the little boy. There was blood pooling under the surface of the boy's skin where the gun had struck. It wasn't a simple bruise. It was depressed whereas the areas hit by the hand were already swelling. It was probably a broken skull. Internal bleeding. He clenched his jaw. _I wasn't fast enough. _The burning regret that filled him made him wish he hadn't gone so easy on the mobsters. He knelt at the family's side and held out his hands, palms up.

"I have a friend who can help." Gohan said, nearly begging despite the snarling rage in his head. _Please… please let me make this right. _"He's not from around here, so he might startle you." He offered his hand to the judge. "But if you are willing, he can heal him."

The judge looked from the hand to the helmet and back, hesitating. He turned to his wife. She cradled her son to her and shook her head furiously. She was scared of him. The judge looked back up to Gohan.

"I think… it would be best to let the paramedics take it from here."

Gohan grit his teeth. "But if you'd just…"

"You're not taking my son!" The wife cried. "I won't let you have him!" Tears raced down her face. "Get away from us!"

Gohan jerked away from them as if he'd been struck. A pair of SWAT team members walked up, hands on their firearms.

"Is there a problem?"

The judge looked at them gratefully, relieved that officers of the law were there. "We just need an ambulance for my son."

"Right." One ran off to get the paramedics. The other turned to Saiyaman. "As for you…" He trailed off, eyes wide.

Saiyaman had vanished.

* * *

Videl wanted to flip tables. She wanted to punch something until it disintegrated under her fists. She wanted to scream. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry her eyes out and then laugh until she was crying again.

How could she have been so blind?

"I am such an ass." She repeated for the fiftieth time.

Erasa nodded for the fiftieth time. "A total ignoramus."

"Why didn't I see it before?" Videl asked again.

"Cuz your head was too far up your own butt to see that he was just an honest guy from the beginning." Erasa intoned as before.

"I feel like the worst person on the face of the earth right now."

"Yep. You are. No two ways about it."

"I am a total jerk. A complete idiot. A Kami-forsaken fool."

"You are the literal worst."

Sharpner bonked his head against the desk where he sat. "Are you guys done with the self loathing thing?" They'd been at the school for over an hour after classes had ended. The three had been through the whole spiel. The initial disbelief, the explaining, the payout, the crying, and the self hatred. Now it was just cycling over and over.

She buried her head in her arms, folded on top of the desk. "I want to die."

"No you don't. It won't solve anything." Erasa patted her on the shoulder gently. "Plus I'll be so sad that I'll never have the heart to go shopping ever again. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?"

Videl groaned, feeling tears prickle behind her eyelids. "You guys chose a lousy friend when you picked me."

"We picked a good one, but sometimes she forgets about how good a friend she has in us." Erasa frowned. "Like seriously. We coulda told you that we saw him change for ourselves."

"How could I be so… so… stubborn!?" Videl clenched her fists, but kept her head buried in the crook of her arms. "I saw the evidence! I saw the connections! How could I not have put it together?! How could I be so _stupid_!?"

"Easy." Sharpner said. "We're teenagers."

Erasa shot Sharpner a dry look. "Really? That's your reasoning?"

"My dad says we create drama just by breathing." He shrugged. "Hormones or whatever."

"Fricking hormones." Videl muttered.

"Yeah well, now you just got to make everything okay again." Erasa said firmly. "Enough of the wallowing in how terrible you are. Time to go apologize!"

Videl swallowed. Fear raised its ugly head. "I… I don't think I can do it." Just the idea of meeting his eyes again made her want to crinkle up into a ball of misery. She'd done it again. Let her pride control her life. Let her anger run wild. Once more, she was paying the price for her stupid hubris.

"Course you can!" Erasa encouraged. "Just go up to him and say, 'Gohan, I'm sorry I didn't believe you, let's make out.' And everything will be right as rain."

Videl let out a strangled sob and Sharpner groaned. "Uuuugh. Making out isn't the answer."

"Why? It would totally work! Watch." She walked up to her boyfriend. "Sharpner, I'm sorry I didn't believe you, let's make out."

Sharpner's eyes went wide as she hauled him to her level by his shirtfront and kissed the ever living daylights out of him. She released him and he toppled back in his chair, blushing furiously. He lay there dazed as Erasa turned back to Videl with a triumphant grin.

"See? Easy as pie."

Videl couldn't hide her anguish beneath the blush caused by the idea of making out with Gohan. Gold Fighter. Saiyaman. Whatever. "You're forgetting one very important thing Erasa." She said softly. Her head fell back into the cocoon of her arms. "He hates me."

Erasa rolled her eyes. "He doesn't hate you. He thinks you hate him."

Videl paused. "He doesn't hate me?" She tried to fight a rising hope in her chest. "B-but I've never kissed anyone before! I couldn't just waltz up to him and start kissing him for no good reason! He'd never accept an apology like that." She looked tearfully at her best friend as the hope was successfully crushed. "It would never work. He doesn't want to have anything to do with me and frankly, I don't blame him. After all that crap I put him through, he'd never believe me. I know I would never believe me." Videl sighed. She really just wanted to go home and drown her sorrows in a big tub of ice cream, like women in romantic comedies did. "I doubt he'll even talk to me. I don't know. I just… I just wish I could turn back time."

"Videl," Erasa sat in the chair directly across from Videl and set her chin in her hands, "what's done is done. You need to set things right. I hate the idea of you two never being friends again."

"Me too." Videl's crumpled up a little more. "I just… I don't want to make it any worse than it already is. I'm sure he's got enough problems without me being one of them." (I got 99 problems…)

"I wouldn't worry about it." Sharpner said, finally coming to his senses. "If anything you'd be taking a load off his mind."

* * *

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Gohan flinched. Perhaps coming to the lookout was a bad idea.

"You can't afford to pull any more stunts like that!" Piccolo all but roared at his former protégé. "If you had gone any further you would've transformed!"

"It was fine." Gohan gritted out, body tight in a controlled posture. Yep. Bad idea.

"Fine?! You could've killed everyone! EVERYONE Gohan!"

"But I _didn't_." Gohan retorted angrily. "It was fine."

"Bullshit!" Piccolo shouted. "I _felt _your power level! You were NOWHERE near fine! Even now you're far from fine!" He scowled furiously. "And take off that stupid helmet when I'm talking to you!"

"Yeah!? SO WHAT!?" Gohan roared back, ripping the helmet from his head. "I kept it all down! I didn't transform and I was still called a monster!" He clenched his fists. "Everyone, EVERYONE down there is afraid of me! My classmates, my teacher, my friends… Hell, even my own mother is afraid of me!" His ki wavered between dangerous and oh-crap-we're-gonna-transform levels.

Piccolo growled. This was bad. "Calm down Gohan."

"No, YOU CALM DOWN!" Gohan spun away from his mentor. "How can you tell me to calm down when someone gets hurt on my account?!"

Piccolo's voice softened. "Kid…"

"If I was faster, I could've stopped them!" Gohan clenched his fists. "If I was a super saiyan, I could've stopped them!"

The tall namekian hesitated for a fraction of a second before pulling Gohan in for a fierce hug. Gohan trembled with repressed energy and anger. Piccolo held him tight and sent his own energy in soothing waves over the teenager.

"I know kid. I know."

"He… he might die." Gohan shuddered. "He might die and it'd be my fault."

"It would be the gangster's fault. Not yours." Piccolo said softly.

"I didn't stop them in time."

"Easy there kid." Piccolo felt Gohan relax slightly though the energy within him didn't decrease. "You did the right thing. You held on to your control."

Gohan pulled out of the hug. "If it was so right, why did it feel wrong?"

Piccolo frowned. "You want to save people. It's only natural to feel that way when someone gets hurt. If you had released any more power, there wouldn't be anyone left to save." He sighed. "You can't be allowed to transform. You _know _that."

"I know," Gohan shook his head, "but that doesn't give me any excuse. It was so hard to keep control that I…" He looked down at the ground, tensing up again. "Next time I won't stop when someone's life is in danger. If it is within my power, I will do all that I can to save them."

Piccolo stared at him. After a moment he smiled ruefully. "You're your father's son all right." His smile turned back into a frown. "But you can't go trying to save people if you can't control yourself."

"I know." Gohan sighed in defeat. "Today just sucks." At least he finally regained control. Well, sort of. His frustration and anger at the situation still growled deep in his mind, threatening to come to the surface. If something else got under his skin today…

"It'll get better." The namekian ruffled the black hair in a fond gesture. "Go get some rest. And apologize to Dende before you go. He nearly had a heart attack when he sensed your ki back there."

"Yes Mr. Piccolo." Gohan grumbled.

He trudged over to the building centered on the lookout. He walked through the familiar halls, boots tapping on the floor in a marching cadence. How many times had he walked had he been here in the course of his lifetime? More times than he could count. All under less than perfect circumstances.

Abruptly he stopped. He looked around in sudden consternation. _Something seems wrong here. _He spread out his senses. Dende's energy was just ahead, strong and healthy just like always. Nothing to worry about. Still something felt off about the environment. Was it the lack of people? Did he expect his father to appear as if by magic? On a whim, he lifted his head and scented the air.

An acrid scent stung his nose.

His features pinched in a grimace. Gohan knew this smell. He smelled it coming from his mother, his classmates, and the mobsters. As his hormones got more aggressive, the smell got more pungent. He'd thought it was just his power messing with him. He simply wrote it off as heightened senses. Until now, he hadn't known what it was.

It was fear.

His muscles tensed. _Dende is afraid of me. _This realization angered him. And goodness knows he shouldn't get angry. Growling, Gohan spun about and dashed back outside.

Piccolo was surprised to see his former student run out of the building. He quirked an eyebrow in a silent question as Gohan skidded to a stop in front of him.

"I won't go in there." Gohan snarled at Piccolo. "You can't make me go back in there."

"Gohan, what are you talking about?" Piccolo frowned.

The half-saiyan's face scrunched in pain. "You don't understand! I… I can smell it." His hands went to the sides of his head. "I can smell his fear."

Piccolo felt his blood run cold. He was pretty sure that wasn't normal for humans. "You can smell it?"

Gohan nodded, breathing deeply in the crisp air of the lookout. "I thought my power was messing with me earlier, but it's not! I can smell it! Dende is afraid of me!" He shook slightly as he spoke. "I can't go back in there. I'll go crazy if I do."

Piccolo scowled. "Vegeta better be able to explain this."

"No… No I can't see Vegeta." He shook his head. "He's strong. He's _Saiyan._ I can sense his energy even from here. I won't be able to keep my calm if I see him." He picked his helmet up off the lookout and gripped it tight. "I'm weakening."

"Kid…"

"No Piccolo. I _know_ I am. Kami, I never would've snapped at my teachers like I did, never would've treated my friends so harshly before today. Hell, I never would've beaten those men as badly as I did today." Gohan put a hand to his head, face creased in pain. "It feels like I've got a perpetual headache. One that keeps coming back no matter how hard I try to fight it off. I'm fighting myself over every little thing. It's a fight I'm losing."

Footsteps echoed across the platform. The saiyan teen took another deep breath and winced as the sharp smell of fear assailed him. He cleared his throat. "Tell Dende about the little boy for me okay? Maybe he can fix my mistake." Piccolo winced at his choice of words, but Gohan continued. "I'm gonna go before I give in to my instincts." He forced a smile at Piccolo. "See you later Mr. Piccolo."

Piccolo sucked in a breath. Gohan had fangs. "Gohan…"

Gohan didn't stop to hear what he had to say. He walked to the edge of the lookout, shoving the helmet back on his head. He lifted effortlessly into the air and was gone in an instant. The only sign being the faint afterimage he left behind.

"Piccolo?"

The tall namekian turned to face Dende. The little green man fidgeted nervously. "Is… Is Gohan alright?"

Piccolo frowned. No wonder Gohan wanted to leave when he did. Dende's posture was very much on the defensive. "You _are_ scared of him."

"I don't mean to be." Dende said quickly. "I just… there something about him recently that puts my senses on red alert." He sighed. "I can't help it. I really don't want to be scared of him. He's my friend."

Piccolo scowled and looked out over the horizon. It was a few minutes before he spoke. "You know about the boy?"

"Yeah." Dende nodded. "He's in urgent care right now. I'll have to wait a while before I can heal him. The doctors won't take kindly to someone interfering with their work."

Piccolo grunted. That was normal. Humans and their stupid notions about the universe. Pah. Didn't they know how much Gohan sacrificed for them? How he'd help to save the world on numerous occasions? And now he was in trouble and they just made it worse.

Piccolo scowled at the clouds. He felt disgustingly useless. Gohan was going over the edge and he was helpless to stop him. There was another long pause before he spoke again.

"Gohan will break soon."

Dende gasped, horrified. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Piccolo said. "He practically told me himself."

"We've… we've got to let everyone know!" Dende cried frantically. "We've got to be ready for when he snaps!"

Piccolo agreed. "We will be. Though I'm sure Gohan will be taking preventative measures himself."

* * *

Goten sat on the front step of the little house nestled in the forest. Feet splayed to the sides, knees together, elbows resting on his knees, chin resting in his hands, he was the picture of abject boredom. He sighed as heavily as a little six year old could and looked up at the darkening sky.

"Mom? When's Gohan gonna be home?"

"Shouldn't be too much longer, sweetie." Chichi called from inside the house.

Goten sighed again. All this waiting was so boring. He reached down and idly picked at the grass. He pursed his lips. _Mom isn't as worried about Gohan like she usually is._ He thought to himself. _She's been acting funny ever since Daddy came back to visit._ Goten sighed yet again. _I miss Daddy. _

Suddenly, a surge of ki caught his attention. Goten straightened, looking eagerly for his big brother.

He didn't see anything. He pouted and got to his feet.

"I know you're there big brother! I can sense your energy!" He called up at the sky. He lifted himself into the air and soared high into the clouds. He caught sight of a messy black haircut behind a cloud and grinned. He dove towards it and shouted happily.

"Gotcha big brother!"

He tumbled through to other side of the cloud and looked around, surprised. There was no one there. He was so sure… Goten scowled at the clouds around him. A chuckle came from behind him and he spun around just in time to see…

No one.

Goten pouted. "C'mooooooon Gohan! No fair! You're faster than me!" He sped off in the direction of another chuckle. He zipped through the cool, fluffy white clouds like a bullet. He was so focused on finding his brother that he nearly smacked face first into a passing flock of geese.

"AAAH!" He cried, throwing up his hands. The birds squawked and beat their wings at him in anger. Goten dodged around them as best he could, but feathers flew all the same. "Look out! Excuse me! Sorry Mr. Bird!" He watched them fly away and huffed in relief. In the distraction, he failed to notice the figure right behind him. Muscular arms wrapped themselves around Goten's middle and he squealed.

"Gotcha Squirt!"

"Gohan!" Goten spun in Gohan's grip to face the teen with a bright grin. "You're back!"

He smiled down at his little brother. "How was your day?"

"It was okay, but it's waaaay better now that you're home!" Goten squirmed excitedly in his brother's arms. "There's this thing I gotta show you that Trunks found at his house and told me about so I went out and found one for myself but I'm not sure if it's the same thing cuz I think it is but Trunks said his was really big and the one I found isn't very big at all but it's prolly cuz-"

"Woah! Slow down there Goten!" Gohan chuckled.

Goten giggled. It was so good to see him again! He should hurry up and be done with school already so they could play all the time.

A sudden stiff updraft blew wind all around them. Goten laughed as the air caught his shirt and ballooned it around his neck. He pulled it back down and turned to say something to Gohan, but stopped short. Gohan was frowning. His nose was all crinkled up, like he smelled something stinky.

"What's the matter big brother?"

Gohan sighed. "It's nothing." He let go of Goten and folded his arms across his chest.

The little saiyan floated in front of Gohan with a suspicious look on his face. "Really?"

Gohan smiled ruefully. "Well no. Not really." He leaned forward. "Listen Goten. I can't come home right now. I have to go away for a while okay?"

Goten frowned. "Why?"

"Do you remember what Mr. Vegeta said?"

"Uhhhhh…" Goten scrunched his forehead in thought. "You're going through… teasing?"

"Testing."

"Oh yeah. Testing." Goten giggled. "Testity test test."

"Goten." Goten quieted at Gohan's warning. His eyes were very serious. Goten had a bad feeling about this.

Gohan took a breath and began speaking again. "I'm going to go away for some testing. I'll be back after I find my limit, okay?"

Goten bit his lip. This didn't sound good at all. "How long are you gonna be gone?"

"I don't know." Gohan's eyebrows knit together. "Not too long I hope."

Goten flew into Gohan's arms and hugged him tight. "Don't go big brother." He said softly, pleadingly. "I don't want you to go away."

"I have to." Gohan hugged him back just as tight. "If I don't, people might get hurt. I don't want to hurt anybody."

"But… _you're_ gonna be okay, right? You're gonna come back home, right?"

His big brother pulled back enough to look him in the eyes. His expression was serious. "I hope so."

Goten buried himself into Gohan's chest. "Promise?"

"Promise." Gohan's arms tightened again around him.

Gohan's familiar scent washed over Goten, comforting him like the waves of his energy. "Okay." He swiped at his eyes with his shirtsleeve. "Don't forget, you promised."

Gohan smiled. "I won't forget." He drifted away from Goten. "Would you tell mom for me? I have to get going."

"Sure thing big brother," Goten sighed, "but she isn't gonna be happy. She doesn't want you to miss school."

Gohan nodded. "I know, but I don't have much choice at this point." He waved to Goten and started flying away. "See you later Squirt."

"Bye Gohan!" Goten waved furiously as Gohan was lost to view. He slowly floated down through the clouds to the little house in the forest. He swallowed nervously before he walked over the threshold and went into the kitchen.

He walked up to Chichi and tugged on her apron. "Mom?"

"Yes sweetie?" she said distractedly, stirring a pot of soup.

"Gohan says he's going away for a while."

She stopped her movements. The soup bubbled as she turned to look at Goten.

"What do you mean? Where is Gohan?"

"He said can't come home right now." Goten said. He looked down at the floor. "He said that he's going away for some testing. He doesn't know when he'll be back. Please don't be angry."

Chichi put a hand to her mouth. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. "Oh honey. No. No I'm not angry. I'm just worried."

Goten looked up at her. "Is Gohan gonna be okay?"

His mother dropped to her knees and pulled the little boy in for a hug. Her words echoed Gohan's own.

"I hope so."

* * *

**A/N:** This is the chapter that precedes the chapter everyone wants. Does that mean that this is the one everyone hates?

BLEH. BLAGGHHH. BLERRMERRGERRSH. Friggin stupid writers block. This next chappy had all better be worth it. :I  
If you're curious, I cut out... a whole two chapter's worth. I wanted to put more development into how Gohan goes over the edge. Did I do that enough in this chapter? I soitenly hope so.

Anyways, this next chapstick is a doozy. A real hum-dinger. A biggun. The peak of the mountain. We are gonna hit the climax and we are gonna hit it hard.  
No innuendo intended. No. Stop it. BAD.

Also, I don't do plugs much, but there's this story I wrote a chappy for a while back. It's an interesting take on the other humans in DBZ. Making them stronger and all that jazz. It's called _Convergence! Never give up!_ By Ryuko monogatari. I WROTE THE CELL GAMES CHAPPY. 8D  
As always, TELL ME LIKE IT BE. R&amp;R please. Thank you.


	29. The Storm

**A/N: BOOM**

**DISCLAIMER:** We didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world's been turning.

Ch. 29: The Storm

* * *

Videl stared at the table in front of her, silent. The two blonds sitting at the booth with her exchanged worried glances. Their raven haired friend looked terrible. Dark circles under her eyes, shoulders slumped, pale skin, it was like she suddenly contracted a disease.

Yeah. A disease called heartsickness.

"Three days Erasa." Videl broke the silence quietly. "We haven't seen him for three, stinking, days."

"Don't worry Videl." Erasa tried to encourage her. "It could be any number of things. His dad might've come back from the dead again. Or he might've had to go fight an evil monster on the other side of the globe. Or…"

"Or he hates me." Videl said morosely. "He hates me to the point of never coming back to school again."

Erasa winced. "Please don't say that."

"Why else wouldn't he show up?"

Sharpner looked up from the protein shake he was nursing. "Seriously? You know Gohan. Brains wouldn't skip school for anything short of a catastrophe. It's gotta be something pretty major."

Erasa nodded. "Yeah, like… don't give yourself so much credit."

The crime fighter sighed. "Gee thanks." Even though she knew it was true, it didn't make her feel any better. Gohan would never miss school on purpose. But none of them had seen or heard from the teen for the past three days. What could she do but blame herself? The self loathing had continued even after the gallon of ice cream she downed. The sweet frozen treat had failed her.

And then she had the nightmares.

The dreams usually went as follows. Videl was in an arena filled with debris. She saw the Gold Fighter facing off against Cell. Then the dream shifted and he was Gohan, holding his own in the terrible battle. Suddenly he became her father. Hercule turned to her with regret in his eyes.

"_I only did what I thought was right."_

Videl was forced to watch him take a killing blow from cell. Then the dream changed again and Saiyaman was staring her in the face. The helmet fell away and Gohan was underneath. Tears streamed down his handsome face. His expression was the definition of a broken heart.

"_You don't believe me?"_

Scars suddenly appeared all across his body. They opened and crimson blood bled into his clothing. He screamed in agony as the Gold Fighter appeared behind him, pushing him roughly out of the way. Gohan collapsed to the ground, but remained even as she was forced to watch. Then the Gold Fighter approached her angrily, storming his way across the dreamscape. He pointed at her accusingly, a terrible grief mixing with the anger on his face.

"_My father died that day!"_

She hadn't been getting much sleep.

"Aww, cheer up Videl." Erasa said worriedly. "I mean… it could always be worse, right?"

Videl gave her a pained look. "Sorry if I don't believe you."

"Well, you could still be chasing him around as Saiyaman." Sharpner said thoughtfully. "I think that would suck worse than this."

Videl raised a sad eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"Well…" Sharpner cleared his throat. "Back then, you only cared about un-masking the guy. You ignored Gohan and when you did talk to him, you acted like a cop." He paused, giving her an intense look. "Don't tell me that you regret getting to know him."

"No, I don't regret getting to know Gohan." The raven haired beauty said sadly. "I regret falling for him though." She mumbled.

"Aww Videl." Erasa smiled sweetly. "At least you're finally admitting it." Videl glared at her, willing her to take back her words, but Erasa kept talking. "What about that saying? Better to have loved and loved and… no wait." She pursed her lips. "How does that go? Better to have loved and lost… than to ever have loved at all?"

"That's a load of crap."

"No it's not! I mean, you keep the memory of that person in your heart forever, right? It's romantic!"

"Yeah?" Videl scowled at her best friend. "You try it sometime."

"Puh-leeese." Erasa rolled her eyes. "You two weren't even dating."

"So what?!" Videl stood from her seat angrily. "You don't have to be in a relationship to have feelings for someone!"

Sharpner put a hand on each of the girls' shoulders. "Ladies please, I understand completely. We guys aren't blind to your feelings. Heck you both had feelings for me in the past, but we moved on-"

"Shut up Sharpner!"

"Shut up Sharpie!"

Sharpner shrugged at the two glaring females. "At least you're agreeing about it. Fighting like this isn't getting you anywhere."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Videl gave Erasa a small apologetic smile. "Sorry Erasa." She ran her hands down her pigtails anxiously. "I just wish there was some way to find him."

"Have you tried calling him?" Erasa asked. "I mean, his mom should be able to be the middle man or something like that."

Videl had the sense to look shamed. "I… uh… I've tried, but after the first word, she hangs up. We didn't exactly… well, we aren't on the best of terms."

Erasa groaned in exasperation. "Geez Videl! Get on his mom's bad side too why doncha!"

"I tried apologizing, but she wouldn't listen." Videl slumped miserably. "I don't know what to do."

"Sucks to be on the receiving end of stubbornness right?" Sharpner snickered.

Videl tried to glare at him, but it turned into a miserable frown. "I'm so sorry guys. I can't believe I was such a pig-headed jerk about all this."

"I told you, you're forgiven." Erasa sighed. "We're good now. Quit beating yourself up about it."

"But…"

"Videl, we're best friends for a reason." Erasa smiled at the sad teen across from her. "Like, nothing can get in the way of that."

Videl felt tears prick her eyes. "I don't deserve your friendship."

Erasa huffed. "Shut up and accept my friendship!" She tumbled out of the booth and rushed over to squish Videl in a hug. "Take it! TAKE IIIIIIIIT!"

Videl's lips started to turn up at the corners as she struggled in the blonde's grip. "Erasaaaah! Let go!"

"TAKE MY FREINDSHIIIIIIIIP!"

"FINE GEEZ!" Videl grinned, hugging her fiercely back. Erasa let out a surprised 'eep' and she promptly let go of her bestie.

"Kami Videl! Don't hug so hard!" She rubbed her sides tenderly. "You know I bruise like a banana!"

Videl smiled, not all that sorry. "Sorry Erasa."

"No worries." Erasa said with a sly smile. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Gohan can handle your hugs."

There was a pause. Then Videl's face lit up like a house fire. The blush raced over her cheekbones and down along her neck. Sadly it lasted for only a few seconds. Her shoulders slumped back down to depressed levels. The smile that had graced her features did a swan dive back into that deep dark hole formed by guilt.

Sharpner sighed. "Nice going Erasa."

"Crap! I'm sorry Videl!" Erasa cried. "I didn't mean…" She let out a frustrated noise. "Can't you get the police to put out a PBJ on him?"

Sharpner frowned. "You mean an APB?"

"Yeah that!"

"It wouldn't make much difference." Videl scowled at the table. "There's already one out for Saiyaman."

"For Saiyaman?" Erasa cocked her head. "Why? I can't imagine Gohan getting his alter ego in trouble with the law."

"Yeah." Sharpner agreed. "He's too much of a goody-goody."

"Yeah, but something happened the day Gohan left." Videl eyed her friends, carefully choosing her words. "There was a hostage situation that I got called for when Erasa took my watch," Erasa shrugged apologetically, "and he showed up. I wasn't there, so I'm only repeating what the police report said. It said Saiyaman took out the mobsters with excessive force." Videl's eyebrows knit together. "I saw the photos that the paramedics took myself. Some of those men will be in the hospital for a long time. Hell, based on eyewitness reports, he punched a guy through a brick wall!"

Sharpner let out a slow whistle. "Hard core, but that doesn't sound like Gohan. Brains would never do something like that."

"It was him all right." Videl looked at her friends, worry plain on her face. "The chief himself said so. There was no mistaking him. Frankly, it just gets worse from there. The judge's wife is pushing for his arrest. Even the criminals they took to the hospital want him locked up."

They all shared a worried look. Gohan was their friend. If he was in trouble with the law, what could they possibly do?

"He really can't control his power anymore." Erasa bit her lip in worry. She voiced the question they'd all been thinking. "What should we do?"

"There's really nothing we _can_ do Erasa." Sharpner said slowly. "If it's really gotten that bad, it's no wonder we haven't seen him around."

Videl nodded. "It makes sense. He doesn't want to put anyone else in danger." She growled and hit the tabletop with a fist. "This sucks! I want to find him, but I don't want him in any trouble! If his power really is causing havoc, then it's best if he stays out of the city! How am I supposed to find him when I don't want him to be found?!"

Her watch blared an alarm and she groaned. "That's just what I need. More trouble." She hit the com button. "Go ahead chief."

"Videl! We need you at the Hospital! A rival gang went after the mobsters we brought in a few days ago and… OH SHIT!" The watch fairly vibrated with the sound of an explosion.

Videl shot from the booth. "I have to go!" She called to her friends. "See you guys later!"

"Good luck Videl!"

"Beat 'em up good!"

* * *

"What do you mean they're gone?!"

"It all happened too fast." The police chief winced and pulled his bandaged arm closer to his chest. "They left before the bulk of our force could arrive. It was really just a coincidence that I happened to be here. My grandson got his tonsils removed and I was visiting."

Videl growled, frustrated. "Well… they didn't have to blow a hole in the side of the building!" She gestured to the hole the size of a truck in the crumbling wall. "That's a stupid way to make an entrance! And all this to beat up a rival gang?!"

The chief shrugged. "I thought it was rival gang business in the beginning, but I was wrong. They busted them out of this hospital like they were robbing a bank." He frowned. "It was too quick to be anything but a theft. They stole our criminals."

Videl allowed her frustration to settle on the back burner of her mind. "Do you think the rival gangs in the city are working together?"

"I don't doubt it."

She shook her head. "We need more information."

"We have plenty of information." The chief narrowed his eyes. "These past few weeks have seen a huge reduction in crime. Personally, I think it's because of you and Saiyaman. But even though there haven't been as many crimes, the scale of those crimes has been far too large for any one gang to handle on their own." He gestured to Videl. "You remember the hits on the bank. The amount of men they had plus the sheer weight of their firepower is enough to tell me they weren't working alone. Too many guys with too many guns."

"So you think this has been going on for a while now?"

"Yes. The attempted thefts at the bank, the attempted takeover of the station, the hostage situation with the judge, even that stupid car theft. None of that could've been done by a single gang."

Videl took a heavy breath. "That means they are more organized than I thought. You'd think that rival mobs wouldn't get along well together. My guess is they're probably planning something."

"Again, I don't doubt it." The chief sighed. "But there's no way of telling what that something might be. We lost them."

Videl scanned the wreckage. There was nothing besides debris and medical equipment on the floor. No guns. No secret briefcases. Nothing. There weren't even any casualties besides a few wounded officers. Even the medical staff was mostly unharmed. All they had to work with was a series of crimes leading up to this… and a big hole in the wall.

The raven haired crime fighter ran a hand over her eyes. "We need to put out more patrols. Get all our officers on the beat."

"Already did that Videl." The chief gave her a smile. "And I'd like you to be on patrol as well. We could use your help covering the skies. When you're not in school that is."

"Sure chief." Videl was more than willing to help. Then she hesitated. "Uh… By the way…"

"Yes?"

"You… haven't heard from Saiyaman lately, have you?"

The chief rubbed his eyes with his uninjured hand. "No I haven't. Everyone on the force is looking for the guy. That judge's loud-mouthed wife had a field day at the office two days ago. We couldn't turn her away. She's got every officer ready to cuff him whether they want to or not."

Videl looked away, eyes downcast. "You think he's gone bad?"

He thought for a minute. "No." He said finally. "I think he just got a little too worked up. One of the mobsters put a little boy in the ICU here at this hospital. That'd be enough to set me off." He studied Videl for a moment. "He's got a good head on his shoulders Videl. If anything he got a little too angry at the threats they were dishing out and didn't hold back on his strength like he normally would." He leaned toward her. "But don't go spreading it around that I like the guy. Right now there are a lot of people in higher places that don't like him."

Videl nodded. "My lips are sealed."

"Good." The chief leaned back and gazed out the gap in the wall. "If you do happen to see him, tell Saiyaman to stay out of the city." He said grimly. "Though we could really use his help."

Videl looked up, searching the skies through the gaping hole. _Gohan, where the heck are you?_

* * *

"Trunks, we really shouldn't be out here."

"You wanna see your brother, don't you?"

"Yeah," Goten looked away guiltily, "but mom said we're not allowed to go see him. Your dad said…"

"My dad says a lot of things." Trunks interrupted. He scowled at his best friend. "Don't tell me you're wimping out Goten."

"I'm not wimping out." Goten said defiantly. Then he lowered his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "But your dad said Gohan might be dangerous right now and…"

"Gohan? Dangerous? Are you even listening to yourself?" Trunks said, rolling his eyes. "Gohan would never hurt us."

"But he really was acting really weird before he left and…"

"Listen Goten." Trunks stopped walking and faced Goten fully. "We're being extra sneaky so no one finds us. Not even my Dad caught us sneaking out, right?"

Goten nodded, but still looked worried. "But what about…"

"We're hiding our power levels, we're whispering, and if anyone attacks us, both of us can go super." Trunks rolled his eyes. "You're such a worrywart."

"But…"

"Stop worrying." Trunks reassured his friend with a smile. "We got this. If anything we'll fly away from here. We're super fast. Nobody can catch us."

Goten studied his shoes. "Gohan can."

"But he won't right?" Trunks patted Goten on the shoulder. "You're his kid brother. I'm like your brother so that makes Gohan my brother too. He won't hurt us even if he is all psycho crazy." Goten didn't respond and he huffed in irritation. "Look Goten, Dad said that us saiyans have like… a special sense that tells us when other saiyans are around. Gohan wouldn't come after one of us, right?"

Goten thought it over for a minute. He sighed. "If you say so Trunks."

"I know so." He took his best friend by the hand. "C'mon. He's this way."

They trudged through the woods hand in hand, searching for Gohan. They followed the erratic spikes of ki they kept feeling. The closer they got, the clearer the energy signal. After some time, the spikes seemed to get stronger. Kinda like someone was trying to put a cork in a fire hydrant and the water kept spurting out the side.

Goten stopped suddenly, tugging Trunks to a halt. "Hey Trunks?"

"What is it Goten?" Trunks asked irritably, trying not to show his nervousness at the angry ki they felt.

"I think something's wrong with the forest."

Trunks sighed. "It's just a bunch of trees and animals. Nothing can be wrong with it."

Goten looked at him dubiously. "But there _aren't_ any animals."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Well, I don't hear any." Goten took a deep breath through his nose. "I don't smell them either."

Trunks copied him. He frowned. There really weren't any fresh animal scents. "That's strange. Wonder where they all went?"

A deep, gruff voice answered them. "Gohan scared them off."

Both chibis shrieked. They jumped into the air, startled. They started to power up, but a hand caught each of them before they zipped off into the sky.

Goten looked fearfully at the owner of said hand. Then he relaxed. "Hey Mr. Piccolo."

"What are you two doing out here?" Piccolo growled out in a low voice. "I thought Vegeta told you to stay put."

"He did!" Trunks explained. "And we were going to, but Goten felt Gohan's ki and started to flip out. The only way I could calm him down was to take him out looking for Gohan!"

Goten frowned. "But you were the one who suggested that we go looking for him."

"Yeah, but you were the one wigging out!" Trunks protested. "So it's not my fault!"

"Is TOO your fault Trunks!" Goten bit back. "You were worried too! You said no one would catch us and we'd be able to snap Gohan out of it! That's what you said!"

"And it woulda worked too if YOU hadn't shown up!" Trunks turned on Piccolo. "We coulda handled it!" He grumped. "How'd you find us anyway?"

"Kami." Piccolo said simply.

"Oh."

He hefted the two boys over his shoulders and started to lift into the air. Abruptly he stopped, freezing midflight. He lowered his own energy as a sudden, huge pulse of ki hit them. It was like a suffocating wind, powerful, angry and full of heat. It dissipated after a few moments, but the effect could still be seen on the trio. It felt like an enemy's power, but there was no mistaking who it belonged to.

Trunks gulped. "Th-that's Gohan, huh?"

Piccolo winced. The little boy was trembling in his grip. "Yep."

The little lavender haired boy glanced at the former guardian nervously. "You… uh… you're not gonna let us go see him, are you?"

"Nope."

Trunks sighed in relief, but Goten looked at Piccolo pleadingly. "Even if we say 'please'?"

Piccolo lifted an eyebrow. Didn't this kid have any fear? "No."

Goten squirmed a little, but didn't make any more noticeable signs of resistance. His mom taught him to listen to his elders. "But… that didn't feel like Gohan. He's in trouble. I don't wanna leave him."

Piccolo heaved a heavy sigh. He knew exactly how Goten felt. "It's too dangerous for us right now." He looked in the direction of the pulsing ki. "Just have faith that Gohan is strong enough to overcome this on his own."

And with children slung over his shoulders like potato sacks, he flew away.

* * *

Dende paced back and forth beneath a darkening sky, nervous as a new father. He kept glancing off into the distance to the east of the lookout uneasily.

Krillin watched the guardian and sighed. "Dende, if you keep pacing like that, you're gonna stress _me_ out." He paused. "Well, stress me out _more_." He corrected.

The little namekian flinched. "Sorry Krillin." He said sheepishly. "It's just… You know."

Krillin nodded, directing his attention to the eastern horizon. "Yeah. I feel him too."

"Is it possible _not _to?" Dende resumed pacing almost subconsciously. "Krillin, I'm worried. It's been three days since he's been on his own and he's only getting worse. The power fluctuations are almost at regular intervals now."

Both of them flinched as another spike of furious ki flared out from the east.

Krillin scowled. "I know. But what can we do? We risk getting attacked ourselves if we go after him."

"That's the problem!" Dende looked worriedly at his friend. "We can't help him, but we ought to be doing something! I mean… I'm the planet's guardian for pity's sake!"

They heard a grunt and the tapping of landing feet. "You'd be putting the planet in danger by going after him."

Dende sighed in frustration. "I know! But don't you feel frustrated?"

"Of course I'm frustrated!" Piccolo said. He'd just returned from taking the two boys back to capsule corp. "We're just out of options."

"Piccolo's right. None of us are strong enough to handle him. We can't get close enough to sedate him and send him off the planet right?" Piccolo grunted in affirmation and Krillin continued. "Vegeta said he doesn't have any more magic saiyan words left. He said that if we fight him now, we might die and he still wouldn't reach his peak. And no one wants to risk a fight that may send us all back to the afterlife. The best we can do is hope that our combined power is enough to keep him from destroying everything."

Dende slumped. "But… but isn't there anything we can do? Something we haven't thought of yet?"

Krillin put a hand to his chin in thought. "Have you tried contacting King Kai?"

"What good would that do?"

Krillin rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we could ask for advice?" He sighed. "I just wish Goku was here."

Piccolo was silent for a while. He finally spoke to Dende. "Would they be able to send Goku back here?"

Dende stopped pacing, a look of mental shock coming over his face. "Uuuuuuuuh…"

Krillin grinned, melancholy temporarily forgotten. "Well what are you waiting for? Call him up!"

***Meanwhile in Otherworld***

"So I says to the waitress…" King Kai paused. "Hold on Lani, I got a call on the other line." He twitched his antennas and grunted. "Oh it's Dende. What's up kid?"

"King Kai! We've got a situation!"

King Kai frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I need your help! Gohan is about to go off the deep end!"

"Gohan? You mean Goku's boy?" King Kai glanced over at Goku. The tall saiyan was playing checkers with Bubbles the monkey. He looked like he was losing.

The blue Kai cleared his throat. "I don't know if I can help you with that. I'm still dead if you recall."

"Can you at least send Goku back? We're running short on time here!"

King Kai's eyebrows shot up. "Woah! Calm down Dende! It's not like the planet is in danger or anything."

"Have you even _checked_ the power level coming off him?!"

"Don't worry Dende," King Kai said nonchalantly, tuning his antenna to earth, "I'm sure it's nothi-" The furious aura of Gohan's ki hit him almost instantly.

He reeled back, landing on his tush. "Holy Grand Kai! That's GOHAN!?"

"See?!" Dende's voice was exasperated and panicky. "Please figure out a way to get Goku back here!"

King Kai swallowed nervously. There were a lot of rules about dead people returning to the land of the living. Goku had already broken one of the cardinal rules in the past. If he broke another one…

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks King Kai." And the call ended.

King Kai looked over at Goku. The tall saiyan had a sheepish look on his face. Bubbles was doing a victory dance. He twitched his antennae and took a deep breath.

"Lani, I'm going to have to call you back."

***Meanwhile on Earth***

Dende's eyes cleared and he looked back over at Krillin and Piccolo. "He says he'll see what he can do."

Krillin groaned. "Aww man! That could mean anything!" The former monk ran a hand through his thick dark hair. "You'd think with the earth in jeopardy they'd skip the stupid bureaucracy."

"It's all about balance Krillin." Dende replied morosely. "Mortals aren't allowed to return to earth once they're dead. If they all come back, the boundaries between the spirit world and this world would be broken. There would only be chaos. This dimension wouldn't be able to sustain itself. Reality would unravel. That's why the spirit world has rules." The little guardian rubbed his eyes tiredly. "That's also why we namekians made the dragon balls. To be able to bend the rules. Bring life back to the dead so they could return if their death had been wrongful. Wishes were the way we could keep the balance. Dead people coming back, even temporarily, put reality in jeopardy. Reality jeopardy kind of supersedes earth jeopardy."

"But Goku was allowed to come back to visit." Krillin objected. "So it can't be all doomsday and unraveling reality can it?"

Dende nodded slowly in the fading light. "Well, I believe that was because Goku continually restored balance to the universe. The kais in the spirit world figured that he would not upset the fabric of reality if he was allowed back under close supervision and for a small amount of time. That was a special case."

Piccolo grunted. "Goku was always a special case. Perhaps they'll be willing to allow him to return."

"I hope so." Krillin looked to the east as another energy pulse made him cringe. "Otherwise, I think we might be toast."

* * *

The next day found Videl flying around in her jetcopter, surveying the city below. High above the streets, she looked for any sign of unrest. Groups of people wearing gang colors, unmarked vans all going into one building… suspicious stuff like that. Naturally there was nothing. Just like yesterday. No signs of gang activity. No signs of shady behavior. Nothing. It was Saturday and she'd been up in the air since early morning. She needed a break.

The crime fighter rubbed blearily at her eyes. "How could that many guys just disappear?" She mumbled. "It's not like you could hide an operation like that." She felt uneasy about this whole case. Nothing seemed to fit together. She stuck her head out the window and winced as hot air whipped around her ponytails. Frankly, the weather didn't help.

The air was hot and oppressive, doing very little to cool her face even as she flew through the sky. While there were no clouds or black thunderheads roiling on the horizon, it felt like there was a storm brewing. It was something in the air. Something angry. She couldn't quite explain it, but she knew it was there. Evidenced in the way people were anxious. Almost too careful in dealing with one another on the streets. The atmosphere was tense. Like the world was waiting for something.

Videl shook her head. "It's probably nothing." She said aloud, trying to reassure herself. "Just the stress getting to me." Truth be told, it was nice to be finally doing something rather than just moping around over Gohan. She finally had something else to focus on besides her guilt.

She brushed a strand that escaped her pigtail behind her ear. It was so stupid. How could she not have seen the similarities? Gohan's father died protecting him from Cell. The gold fighter's father died at Cell's hands. They both had that golden laugh, that same happy go lucky voice, and the same height, weight, and hairstyle. They were one in the same.

_But how can he change like that?_ Erasa assured her that it was really him. Both she and Sharpner saw him transform, but how was it possible? There was no way a normal human could do the things he was able to do. Ki control or not. What was more, he was losing control of his powers. If he transformed again, he'd go crazy or something.

Frankly, it was just plain weird to think that Gohan could transform in the first place. It was too much like thinking he was a power ranger.

Her com watch buzzed suddenly, startling her almost enough to send her crashing into a nearby building. She hauled back on the controls and sighed in relief when she missed it. Only after she regained her composure did she hit the respond button.

"Go ahead chief."

"Videl! We just got a call from the mall downtown. Guys carrying guns are swarming the place. The gangs have finally struck! We need every available operative on the scene!"

"I'm on my way." She banked the jetcopter sharply as she replied. Luckily the mall wasn't too far from her current location. She pulled on the throttle and went zooming towards the fancy glass topped shopping center. Even from her vista high above the scene, she could see a shootout beginning between the first cops on the scene and the gangsters barricaded in the parking lot.

Videl hastily set her chopper on autopilot and fastened a quick rappelling line to the main strut. Taking a deep breath to steel her nerves, Videl kicked out into open space and sped down to the rooftop. She tugged hard on the line, slowing her descent swiftly. Tucking her legs in, she rolled when she hit the roof and softened the impact on her body. She unhooked the line from her belt and dashed to the rooftop entrance.

"Chief, I'm on the roof." Videl reported through her com watch. "Be advised, I'm going in."

"Wait Vi-" She cut the link before he could reply.

She took a moment to herself, breathing deeply. "You got this." She said softly. And then without further ado, she tugged open the metal door and swiftly descended into the mall.

Videl made it down from the roof to the upper level without a hitch. It was one of those fancy three story malls. She glanced about cautiously and darted into a nearby clothing store. She looked out from behind one of the counters. So far so good. She crept out of the store and peeked over the balcony railing. On the ground floor, she could see a group of people marshaled together by men with guns. Other armed guys of varying stature roamed the halls and stores on every floor. Some of the men could be seen wearing casts and slings, bandages around their bodies. Those injured men were actually carrying what looked like bags of cash from the stores.

She narrowed her eyes. _Even the injured guys?_ There had to be more to this than just a robbery. There were tons of people here. And what kind of criminals would rob a freaking mall? It was too public! Too easily surrounded! Usually criminals would…

"Hey you!"

"Shit!" Videl whirled around and came face to face with two familiar looking thugs. She narrowed her eyes at them. "You two!"

"Hey there girly." The big meaty one grinned menacingly. They had been the ones she knocked out on the street for attacking Gohan. "Time to pay back what you did to me last week!"

"Fat chance of that." Videl sneered, disgusted. "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!"

"So brave!" The skinny one mocked. "Too bad we ain't punchin'." He hefted a sawed off shotgun in her direction. "So you'd best do what we say."

She swallowed nervously. _Think Videl. Think._ She grinned suddenly and waved behind the pair with an air of bravado.

"Hey Saiyaman!"

The two thugs instantly went pale and spun around. Videl took the opportunity to vault over the railing and using her own momentum, swing to the next floor down. She landed just as another sentry turned the corner on her.

"Hey! You're that-" A foot crashed into his face, stopping his train of thought.

Videl landed as gracefully as she could as the man toppled to the ground. She tensed up as she heard more voices behind her.

"It's Videl!"

"Ah shit! She got Husker!"

"Who cares?! Grab her!"

Videl ran away. She could hear bullets pinging off the walls and floor behind her. She prayed that none of the ricocheted into the hostages. She skidded around a corner just to run smack into another group of thugs.

"Aw hell no!"

"How'd she get in?"

"Get her!"

Videl was able to take out one of the thugs before the group that was chasing her finally caught up. Hands grabbed at her pigtails, the back of her shirt, her legs. How she managed to get out of that mess was something she'd have to wonder about later.

The female crime fighter dashed on. More and more men joined the chase behind her. With this many guys, it was beginning to seem like too much for her to handle. She was about to get swarmed! The chief was right. Too many guys with too many guns.

She heard strings of curses as she leapt over the balcony and landed on the first floor. She had to get out. If she could just bake it to the emergency exit, she'd be in the clear.

The raven haired girl was about halfway to the first floor exit when she heard a loud noise from the floor beneath her. It was a loud 'THOOMP'. Her eyes widened as a missile shot past and into the shop beside her. Videl threw her arms over her face as the explosion obliterated the shop. The shockwave flung her away from the exit with concussive force. She flew through the air, yelping when she hit the railing. The weakened bars gave way and she tumbled backwards into open space.

A very disoriented Videl fell through the air. Ears ringing, eyes squeezed shut, she didn't have the presence of mind to tuck and roll. She hit the ground floor with a sickening thud. Something in her shoulder snapped and she cried out in pain.

She lay there, breathing in shallow pants. She moved slightly and gasped. It was bad. Probably a broken collarbone. Her eyes filled with tears as she slowly used her other arm to push herself to her knees. Each movement sent a new surge of pain through her chest and left arm. _Don't focus on the pain._ She told herself harshly._ Take stock of your surroundings and get out._ She had just gotten steady on her knees when a pair of black boots came into view. She looked up and cursed softly.

The familiar tall lean man smirked down at her cockily. Her blood ran cold as he set down the bazooka he'd been carrying. With his free hand he pulled out a pistol and pointed it casually at Videl's nose.

"Welcome to the party, little girl."

* * *

KZZZZRRCH

"We interrupt our regularly scheduled relaxing music program to bring you this terrifying news bulletin! We have just received word that a massive gang of heavily armed men has taken the downtown Satan City Mall by force. They are holding all occupants inside and don't seem willing to negotiate. My partner, who was running our live show downtown, was able to make it to the scene. Cal, what's going on over there?"

"Hey Zone! I don't normally do this, but this is an emergency! Not an hour ago a call was made to the city's police force by shop owners here at the Satan city mall. Dozens of armed men, dare I say hundreds of them, swarmed the building. As far as I can tell, they have the owners and shoppers hostage with no word as to what they…

"Hold on! There's movement at the front of the mall! It's a man holding a semi-automatic weapon and… Is that Videl!? Oh my Kami! That man has her at gunpoint! He's shouting something! Pepper, turn up the mike!"

"-our town! You hear me Saiyaman?! This is _our_ town! If you don't show in the next fifteen minutes, your little partner dies along with all the other hostages we got!"

"Oh my Kami. He's… he's gone back inside now. Oh my Kami. Did you get that Zone?! They want Saiyaman to give himself up or else all of those people will die!

*RAAATTATATATTTBANGITYBANGBANG*

"AHH! Let's get outta here!"

*BANGITYBANGBANGGATTTAGATTAATATTTAAT*

Silence.

"Cal? Cal?! You still there?"

A pause.

"Yeah… yeah, sorry Zone, but they started shooting again. We had to get outta there. I gotta tell ya Zone, I don't think the police can handle that much firepower on their own. They have fully automatic weapons in there, man! The swat team can't get in!"

"Good Kami! Get somewhere safe!"

"Yeah. We're moving out now. Listen, Saiyaman, if you're out there, we need your help. The police have figured there to be over 40 hostages inside the building. There have already been casualties. The army has been called but… but no one wants to fire heavy artillery on the mall and risk hurting the hostages. We… we need a superhero."

"Cal is right. Saiyaman, if you're listening, we need you. I don't know if you even listen to radio, but we need you at the mall. Now I know what you listeners are thinking. There are a lot of people out there who may have differing views about our resident superhero, but I believe that…"

*CLICK*

A pair of hands, calloused and dirtied, turned off the radio housed in the casing of the helmet.

"Damn."

The hands trembled with a raw emotion as they slowly picked up the helmet. It settled on its owner's head, trapping the sweat that was streaming down tanned skin. The visor flicked closed over eyes that were red with rage.

There was a loud rushing wind that tossed the leaves on the trees into a frenzy of motion. Then there was silence.

Gohan was on the move.

* * *

"Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh nooooo!" Dende tugged on his robes in fear. "Gohan is moving!" He paced back and forth. "He's headed back to the city! He's going for that mess downtown! I just know it!"

Piccolo, who had been trying to shut out the angry ki through meditation, opened his eyes in alarm. "Are you sure about that?"

"I'm Kami! Of course I'm sure!"

Piccolo shot to his feet. "How close is he to the city?"

"He's at least 500 kilometers… 490 kilometers… 450 kilometers…" Dende's eyes widened. "He's getting faster!"

"Tell the others!" Piccolo shouted, dashing the edge of the lookout. "I'll try to head him off!"

"Hurry!" Dende shouted after him. "We can't let him transform in the city!" He watched Piccolo speed away and sent word to earth's mightiest warriors. Their strength would be needed to help contain Gohan. Once the message was sent, Dende spared a frightened glance skyward.

"King Kai, what's taking so long?"

* * *

"What is _taking_ him so long?"

The tall lean man, now known as one of the mob bosses who had led the first attack on the bank, rolled his eyes at his fellow boss who was currently wearing a neck brace. He'd been injured by Saiyaman trying to get revenge on the judge. It kind of looked like he was wearing a collar. "I don't know. Perhaps Mr. Saiyaman doesn't care for the little girl."

"Oh, he does all right." A third, well built mob boss strolled up to the other two. "R'member when we tried to take the bank the second time? She was so worried about him. If they don't have a thing goin' on, then I'm a monkey's uncle." (Raditz?)

"I don't _care_ if they have a thing or not!" The collared mob boss snapped at his 'partners'. "I just want him here!"

On the floor with the other hostages, Videl tried to make it appear like she wasn't eavesdropping. She needed all the information she could get. Somehow she had to make it out of this situation alive. However the tall lean man, whom she felt nothing but a distinct loathing for, noticed her listening in. He walked over and casually nudged her with the business end of his gun.

"Are we curious about this whole operation, little girl?"

Videl choked back whatever snappy comment she was about to make. Better to lose a comeback than lose her life. She glared tight lipped at the man who held her at gunpoint.

He chuckled. "It's perfectly natural to be curious. After all, we _are_ using you as bait." She narrowed her eyes at him and he sighed. "I'm just trying for a little bit of intelligent conversation." He pushed the cold steel of his gun against her cheek.

Videl grit her teeth. "Why would you want Saiyaman?" She asked quietly, her words oozing outrage.

"Oh, ask a better question!" The tall lean man pressed the gun harder into her cheek, forcing her to look away. "You can figure that one out on your own anyway."

"You want him dead." Videl deadpanned, trying to keep her heartbeat from racing.

"Yeah we do." The third mob boss grabbed the back of Videl's head and pulled, forcing her gaze to meet his. "You, we can handle. The cops, we can easily avoid. Hell, we can even handle yer idiot of a father." He pulled harder, making Videl grit her teeth in pain. "But then Mr. fancy pants superhero showed up. He got to ruinin' all our plans." He released her harshly, sending her falling onto her broken collarbone.

The tall, lean man grinned at her cry of pain. "So what do you think we, being fellow breakers of the law, get to thinking?" He gestured at the mobs all around them. "Why not team up against our common enemy rather than get whipped by him _and_ each other?"

"That's why you partnered up? To kill Saiyaman?" Videl struggled back into a sitting position. Suddenly the situation took on a new light. _They want to kill Gohan? I mean, Saiyaman? AKA the Gold Fighter? AKA Mr. impervious-to-bullets? _A slow grin grew on her face.

_How stupid._

She chuckled. "You idiots. You total morons. You don't know who he is, do you?"

"Shaddap!" The boss with the brace smacked her roughly. "You don't know what you're talkin' about!" He scowled at her. "That do-gooder is about to get what's coming to him. Get in the way of my revenge will he? I'll show him! I'll be the one to bury him in a shallow grave!"

"Hold yer horses now." The third mob boss frowned at his 'partner'. "You don't get to kill him all by yerself. He ruined our heists too!"

"I agree with our mutual friend." The tall lean man smirked at the dark glower his 'colleague' sent him. "The only reason we all sought to work together was to drive the man out of our town."

"By killing him!" The collared boss said forcefully. "With all our power, there ain't no way he's making it outta this place alive!"

They continued bickering amongst themselves. _What a bunch of absolute morons._ Videl thought to herself. _Gohan is the one who defeated Cell. The likes of you couldn't even lay a finger on him._ Her confidence in her knowledge grew as did her smile. For the first time in her entire relationship with Gohan, she was absolutely happy that she knew no more than she did. Gohan was Gohan. Who cares how he got to be that way? He was the powerful golden boy, the kind loveable nerd, the righteous superhero, the ray of sunshine around a core of steel. The tall, dark, gorgeous, dorky, caring, smart, superhuman of a man would never fall to these jokers.

Videl had to keep herself from laughing out loud. Erasa was right. She really was in love with him.

She loved him. It felt good to admit it! Even better was the fact that she was actually okay with it. She liked a boy. Videl Satan, self proclaimed 'I-don't-need-no-man' girl, liked a boy. She liked a boy and there were no strings attached anymore.

She realized that she didn't need to know everything. Gohan was simply Gohan. Either dressed up in costume, golden, or helping with math homework. Love is about who you are, not who you were or who you are going to be. Not his secrets, but his personality, his faults, and his attitude. His heart. _I love him._ Videl thought joyously. _I love him and you can't lay a finger on him. How's about THEM apples?_

It only took being in a life threatening situation for her to realize it. She was shocked out of her depressive funk/selfish denial long enough to be clearheaded about things. Weird how that worked out.

Videl shook her head. _Enough of that for now. I gotta figure a way out of this mess. _She loved Gohan, sure, but she didn't want him showing up and blasting the mall into oblivion. What with his power problems and all. She looked at the bickering mob bosses. _This is only a temporary partnership. They truly hate each other. Maybe I can use that. _Turn them on each other. Like those old cartoons she used to watch as a kid.

Before she could attempt any subterfuge, the third boss sighed heavily. "Look, as much as I _love _doin' business wit ya, the guy ain't here yet." He glared at the other two. "So unless ya got a plan to get him here faster, I suggest ya shut yer traps before I blast ya!"

The tall lean man shot him a disdainful look. "Like you even could. I'd shoot you as soon as look at you. But, for the sake of our truce, I'll humor you. What, pray tell, would we do to get him here faster?"

The third boss looked ready to make true on his threat, but seemed to think better of it. "We could rough up our hostages a mite. That usually works on the cops." He scowled at the glass doors where the gunfight still raged on. "Beats sittin' round here bein' bored."

"That's actually a nice idea." The tall lean man smiled sinisterly. "We even have the perfect candidate. Who better to mess with than his partner?" He casually lifted his gun to his shoulder and looked down his nose at Videl. "So how about it little girl? Wanna play with us?"

Videl didn't even have time to struggle as two of the henchmen suddenly lifted her by the arms. Pain shot through her busted collarbone at their rough handling. It was all she could do to keep from crying out. They dragged her over to a spot against the wall and held her there, guns aimed at her sides to keep her still. She watched, scowling fiercely at the tall lean man. He merely smirked, lifted his gun, and aimed.

Right at her face.

"Don't move now." He chided her like she was a little child.

_Oh Kami oh Kami this is where I die. _There was a gunshot and Videl squeezed her eyes shut. She waited a pregnant second before she felt something limp hit her shoulder. Her good hand reached up tentatively. Her eyes opened wide as she realized what it was.

He shot off her pigtail.

"Heeeeey. Not bad shootin' there. Let me have a go." The third mob boss pushed the tall, lean man aside. He leveled his rifle at Videl with an easy grin.

"HEY YOU BUNCHA LOWLIFES!"

The third boss looked toward the glass doors and frowned. "The hell?"

"RELEASE THOSE HOSTAGES AND MY DAUGHTER OR FACE THE WRATH OF THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD!"

The collared mob boss groaned. "It's Hercule."

"I CHALLENGE YOUR STRONGEST MAN! I'LL TAKE HIM DOWN EASIER THAN I TOOK DOWN CELL! PREPARE TO BE ANNIHILATED YOU SCUM!"

"Leave him bluster." The tall, lean man said with a flippant hand gesture. "It's not like he can do anything anyway. He's not impervious to bullets."

"Yeah. He's past his prime anyway." The collared boss said. Then he spoke into a small radio. "Don't bother with Hercule. Fire into the crowd. Keep 'em down and keep 'em quiet."

The third, burly boss grunted and shot at Videl. He fired without even looking.

She felt fire sear across her cheek and yelped loudly. She clapped her hand to the wound as her other pigtail fell to the floor. Tears blurred her vision. Blood seeped around the edges of her fingers. It was just a shallow cut, but it burned like fire. Coupled with the helplessness of it all, Videl was now being used for target practice. Videl began to despair. _I'm not getting out of this one am I? _The other hostages watched her fearfully, some of them breaking down in tears. It was settling in on them that they were at the complete mercy of the mob.

"Tch. Would ya look at that?" The third boss scowled. "Friggin' Hercule nearly made me miss with all his yellin'." He slung the rifle back over his shoulder and turned to the collared boss. "Wanna have a go?"

"This is stupid, but why the hell not?" The collared boss said. He pulled out his handgun. "Since you guys took the fun shots," he aimed carefully at Videl's legs, "how 'bout I just go for a kneecap?"

The tall lean man ignored the gasps from the other hostages and rolled his eyes. "That's so cliché."

"Hey! You don't hear me giving you crap about the way you shoot!" The collared boss retorted angrily. His gun shook, making him aim higher and higher.

Videl tried to swallow her fear. If she was going to try anything, now was the time. She just had to keep her knees from shaking first. She fought back her tears and spoke. "L-listen," she said shakily, "I-I'm not really worth all this fuss. I-I mean, he wouldn't show up for me."

"What?" The collared boss paused.

"Yeah." Videl didn't have to fake her slump. She still had enormous amounts of guilt over what happened. No admittance of love could mask that. "W-we had a fight. No one has seen him for days. If your partner told you he was around, he's been lying."

"Is that true?" He looked over at the third boss. "He isn't even in the city?"

"Hey, it's up to him if he shows or not." The burly boss shrugged. "I wasn't lyin' to ya. I only am tellin' ya what my boys told me."

"Hmmm." The tall lean man smiled patronizingly. "Are you trying to play us, little girl?"

Videl gulped. _Crapbaskets. _"Uh… no I was just…"

"SHADDAP!" The collared boss roared at her. His gun was now aimed at her chest. "No cop is gonna take me for a fool!"

"But I…"

"Just shut up you worthless wannabe police _bitch_!"

There was a moment as the collared boss took a breath. In the pause, filled with the murmurs and chuckles of other mobsters, one voice calmly rang out above the rest.

"Don't call her names."

"OH SHIT!" The collared boss spun around and fired.

The bullet was caught in one tanned hand. Gasps were heard from every corner of the room. More than a few men swore. The sound of every gun being cocked echoed in the open space. Every weapon aimed at the man who now stood just a few feet away from their boss. Videl just stared wide eyed at him. She felt emotions surge through her chest.

"Gohan." She breathed.

He was here. He was here to save them. Her heart leapt with hope even though she knew he shouldn't have come in the first place. He was here to take down the mobs and get himself into more trouble. Oh Kami! What was she even supposed to say to him? He was here. He was here and alive and so very real.

And he wasn't happy.

She didn't need to see his face to see that much. There was just something about him that was off. Was it his stance? His clothing? Whatever it was, she could tell that he was angry. Furious even. The air was heavy with his aura. She swallowed nervously. He meant business.

As she took him in, she noticed that his helmet was dented and scraped up. His pants were torn and his spandex tank was ripped in several places. Dirt smudged his bare skin. It looked like he'd already been in a pretty bad fight. Wind blew faintly around him, rustling the clothing of those close enough to feel it.

The bullet fell to the floor with a small clink. Gohan lowered his arm back to his side and stared at the mob bosses. Even on the opposite side of the room, Videl could feel his gaze burning through her. _He can't control his power when he gets angry. _She remembered. This was going to go very badly. _Please don't lose it Gohan. Please…_

"Well well well." The tall lean man began. "Look who we have here. Mr. Saiyaman to the res-"

"Shut up."

The tall lean man was taken aback at the low growl that reverberated through the room. A faint aura sprung up around Gohan. White flames seemed to lick around his body.

"E-excuse me?!" The tall lean man spluttered, thrown for a loop. People didn't talk back to him. Especially people surrounded by literally hundreds of firearms. Didn't this guy see how much trouble he was in? "If you hadn't noticed, you're surrounded! You can't just-"

"I said," Gohan spoke a little louder, "Shut. Up."

A pulse of hot air struck everyone. The thugs in the room stumbled back slightly. The mobsters on the upper levels trembled. What the hell was that?! A few fumbled with their weapons. Why did they suddenly want to turn tail and run?

The third, well built boss steadied himself and sneered uneasily at the superhero. "Yer bein' a fool. Look around! We got the hostages at our mercy. You ain't doin' nothin' without our say so!"

"Yeah!" The collared boss, who was sweating heavily at this point, said. "If you want everyone to get outta here alive, you better do what we say!"

Gohan turned his attention solely on the collared boss. The tension in the room sharpened to a knifes' edge. "You should be in the hospital." He said slowly. He made it sound like he was about to put him back there posthaste.

"I… I uh…" The boss stuttered. He backed up a step before coming to his senses. "SHADDAP YOU LITTLE PUNK! You're the one who's gonna end up in the hospital! Better yet, 6 feet under!" He turned to his 'partners'. "Let's kill him!"

"Oh come _on_!" The tall, lean man said, having regained his composure a little bit. "We were going to make him suffer first! Don't tell me you want to jump the gun!"

"I dunno…" The third mob boss glanced at Gohan nervously. "I gotta agree. I think it'd be better if we just off him right now."

"Seriously?" The tall lean man gestured with his gun, slightly hysterical. "He's surrounded! There is nothing he can do! Plus, we got an audience here! Why don't we have some fun?!" He swung his arm around and pointed the gun at Videl. "How do you like your girl's new haircut, Mr. Saiyaman?!"

Videl was terrified. Any way you sliced it, this was a no win situation. She fearfully looked from the gun to Gohan. His muscles tensed and the white flame around his body increased in intensity. She shook her head slowly. _No_, she mouthed, _don't do it, Gohan._

"Yeah… Yeah!" The collared boss shouted. He finally seemed to have regained some of his confidence. "You see that? You can't do nothing! We're taking your girl down first!" He aimed his gun at Gohan. "That's what you get for taking my revenge away from me! We're gonna kill your girl, then we're gonna fill you full of holes!"

The third boss looked from his partners to the superhero and back. Somehow this whole thing didn't seem like a good idea anymore. But, hey, he was here, why not roll with it? He casually swung his rifle at the hostages, causing them to shriek in terror. "Don't make any funny moves either or the hostages get it." Better have some extra insurance just in ca-

The third mob boss's world went black.

Gohan stood over the limp body of the boss. Standing there, he seemed to tower over all the other people in the room.

The other two bosses were shocked. They hadn't even seen him move! What kind of monster _was _this guy?! The collared boss didn't hesitate. He ripped a tommy gun out of the hands of a nearby thug and dashed over the hostages.

"Don't move! DON'T YOU FRIGGIN MOVE! I'll kill them all! I SWEAR I'LL KILL THEM ALL!"

Gohan ignored him. Instead he turned and looked at Videl. He lifted one hand, despite the mob boss screaming at him, and flipped his visor open.

Videl's breath caught in her throat. His normally dark eyes were red. Raw fury burned in them. However, when they caught hers they briefly softened back into a black. He spoke in a low, gravelly voice. In the midst of all the noise, she could barely make out his words.

"I'm sorry."

The visor flipped back down. He turned back to the boss threatening the hostages. He lifted his arms and formed his hands into fists. And then he screamed.

Videl had never before heard such a terrifying sound. It was deeper and more primal than anything she'd ever heard. More like an animal's roar than anything a human could make. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Oh Kami she wanted to run as fast as she could away from that sound.

She watched with eyes as wide as dinner plates as the white flame around Gohan turned a bright and shining gold. The breeze that had been brushing against everyone's clothes turned into a maelstrom of wind. His helmet shook with violent tremors as the scream increased in volume. A split second later the helmet cracked down the center and exploded off Gohan's head.

Her classmate, her tall superhero classmate, was golden blond. His eyes were a startling blue for a moment. Then a furious red suffused the blue, eclipsing it within a sea of blood.

"OhshitohshitOHSHIT IT'S THE GOLD FIGHTER!" The collared boss ripped the radio out of his pocket and screamed into it. "WASTE THE BASTARD!"

The sound of gunfire was deafening. Bullets from every corner of the room flew at Gohan. There was no reaction from the man. The bullets seemed to freeze in midair before falling to his feet. The ground around him was soon absolutely littered with bullets. He raised his head glare up at the upper levels, where most of the gunfire was coming from. He vanished to the eyes of those watching. Screams rang out from the upper floors and bodies flew everywhere. Some fell from the very top floor to land with a sickening crunch on the bottom floor. Suddenly he was back on the ground floor, burying his fists into the collared boss who had his gun pointed at the hostages.

Videl watched it all in a daze. She knew Gohan was the Gold Fighter, but… Holy Kami in a conga line! She'd never put it together like this! Gohan was the Gold Fighter. They were the same person. It's one thing to be told about it, another thing entirely to witness it firsthand! His transformation, his power, his speed and agility…

Her brain exploded.

The collared boss hit the floor with a thud and the tall lean mob boss panicked. "Shit shit shit! Get that bazooka over here!" He tore it out of the hands of one of his underlings and hoisted it to his shoulder. He fired it directly at the hostages.

It nearly reached them, but was caught by Gohan.

The tall lean man grinned. "GOTCHA!" He hit a button on the side of the bazooka and the missile exploded. Gohan was in the very center of the explosion.

"Heh… hahaha! You damn fool! You knew you could never win against me!" The tall lean man raved at the smoke filled room. "You tried, but look where you ended up! DEAD!"

The smoke cleared after a very anxious minute. The tall lean man took a few involuntary steps back as he saw Gohan still standing there, smoking slightly. His shirt was all but gone, revealing a bronzed chest perfectly sculpted out of sheer muscle. His mad red eyes stared the boss down.

For the first time in his life, the tall lean man felt cold terror run down his spine. He didn't even see the teen move as he shot forward to slam a fist into his gut. Nor did he see the blow that knocked him out with the concussive force of a wrecking ball.

The remaining thugs freaked out. Their boss was gone! Most of their cohorts had been wiped out! Why the heck were they still here?! Those who still held on to their guns dropped them to the ground. Every thug in the building fled outside. The policemen there were shocked to see mobsters throw themselves at their feet, sobbing, pleading to be taken in. Most with wet pants.

The hostages in the building were just as stunned as Videl. It all had happened so fast… what were they supposed to do now? In the silence that followed the storm of movement, Videl picked herself carefully off the floor. Keeping her good hand on her injured shoulder, she slowly walked to the golden man in the center of the room.

She swallowed nervously. "G-Gohan?"

He spun around to face her so suddenly Videl had to stifle back a scream. His eyes were still red. His energy still wreathed his body in golden flames. He glared at her with the same intensity with which he faced the mobsters. Did he even recognize her?

She held her hand out to him hesitantly. "Gohan? It's… It's me. It's Videl. You… you can stop now."

Gohan looked confused for a moment before snarling at her. "_Kidé je?_"  
(Where is he?)

"W-what?" Videl took a step back fearfully. He had fangs! Literal _f__angs_!

He walked towards her, voice deep and threatening. "_Silnýt jeden! Kidé je?!_"  
(The strong one! Where is he?!)

"I… I don't…"

He lifted his head to the ceiling and roared again. Videl clapped her hands over her ears and fell away from him. That sound was even more terrifying the second time! She watched, terrified beyond belief as he shot toward the sky. He didn't stop even when he broke through the glass ceiling.

Videl scrambled out of the way as glass rained down. The mall was going to have to do some serious repairs after this. She looked back up to see Gohan float a mere speck miles above the city. Even this far from him, she could still feel his murderous aura. It filled the air like the pressure of an oncoming storm. There was no relief from him. She winced as she got back to her feet. There was something going on here that she didn't understand. The Gohan she knew wasn't that scary. If anything he exuded comfort. What was going on with her friend?

Videl grimaced. _I am way out of my depth._

She sighed heavily looked over to the front doors. Cops were beginning to swarm the building. _I can't do anything to help him._ She set her jaw._ But I'm not just gonna sit around and do nothing!_ Holding her shoulder, she jogged towards the doors as lightly as she could to keep it from throbbing. _I'm coming Gohan!_

* * *

_Where?_ _Where is he?!_

The young demi-saiyan was pissed. So much fear. So much challenge. Everywhere he looked was power. Literally everything taunted him. Baiting him into fighting the very air he breathed. He was lost in the red haze of battle lust. The only thing that kept him from destroying everything he saw was a memory.

The memory was of spiky hair, an easy smile, and a golden power that matched and overshadowed his. The strong one. He had to find him. Had to fight him. Had to test how far he could push him. The strong one had the answers he'd been looking for.

A spark of energy snapped Gohan's head to the right. A distant form, a mere speck on the horizon was moving towards him. His eyes narrowed. It had a decent amount of ki, evidenced by the way it sparkled with power.

He turned to the left just as quickly. Another speck was racing toward him. This one was stronger than the other speck. It shone brightly in the sky.

Neither of these specks were the strong one, but they would have to do for now. He had to find out how strong he was. He had to know how he compared. He had to know who he was. He needed a challenge.

He paused. _Wait, why?_ Why did he need to know how strong he was? Why did he need to be strong? Why did he feel the need to fight? The answer was missing and it bothered him. _What is it that I lack? _

The two specks, now seen as a green man and a spiky blonde man, were closing in on him. He took a deep breath and reached deep within himself. Was he strong? He could sense the two warriors, for warriors they were, closing in on him. He lifted his eyes to the sky and released the lid on his power with a shout.

The force of the ki release sent the two warriors tumbling back through the air. His golden hair spiked further and arches of lightning passed over his skin. His golden aura burned in the sky. The two warriors regrouped quickly, but Gohan ignored them. Instead, he looked down at his hand and scowled.

There was no glimmer of light. No evidence that power truly flowed through him. There was nothing.

_It's not enough._ He thought bitterly. _I have the power, but it is not enough! Why? Why am I not stronger?! What is it that I lack?! A purpose? The reason for strength?!_ He wrestled with himself for a moment. He noticed the two fighters powering up and fire surged through his veins. _It doesn't matter. For now, I have a challenge._

***Meanwhile in Otherworld***

"Please King Yenma!" Goku pleaded. "You don't understand! I need to get back to earth! I need to help my son!"

King Yenma sighed. "No can do Goku. You're already used up your trip to earth. Another one this soon would potentially rip the fabric of reality."

"But Yenma…"

"No buts! My job is to make sure that dead people get to where they need to go! And that is here in the spirit world. I can't let you go back." He looked down at his paperwork and scratched at it with his pen. "Come back in another seven years and we'll see what we can do."

Goku sighed in frustration and King Kai stepped forward. "King Yenma, I don't think you're being reasonable about this…"

"Oh don't you start with me King Kai." Yenma scowled at him. "You may be a Kai, but you are also a _dead_ Kai. Technically that means you have to follow the same rules as Goku here."

King Kai bristled. "You don't understand! Gohan is about to go postal! We _need_ to send Goku back there!"

Yenma grunted. "Well he had the chance to be wished back, but he declined. There's nothing I can do." He waved them away. "Why don't you two head back to the training yard? I've got paperwork to do."

"Don't you realize that an angry hormonal saiyan has the ability to destroy worlds?!" King Kai yelled up at the big red demon. "And this _particular_ saiyan can go super! Twice! How bad is your paperwork going to be when Gohan snaps and kills everyone!?"

"It is going to suck, but not as bad as when the fabric of reality unravels and all the dead are free to roam again!" Yenma hollered right back, the room shaking with his words. He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I want to help you, but there's _really _nothing I can do! I can't change the rules! I don't have that kind of power!" He leaned over the mahogany desk to look down at King Kai. "If anything you'd have to go talk to the Grand Kai. Scratch that, I don't think the Grand Kai has enough power for it. You're better off talking to the Supreme Kai."

King Kai gulped. "The… Supreme Kai?"

Goku looked at King Kai curiously. "There are more?"

"Of course there are! The Supreme Kai is higher than all other Kais!" Yenma leaned back in his chair. "The Supreme Kai is the only one with enough power to supersede the rules safely without the universe tearing itself to bits."

"Great!" Goku said firmly. "Let's go find him then!"

"Are you kidding me?!" King Kai whirled on Goku. "We can't just stroll up to the Supreme Kai and ask him just like that! He's the _Supreme Kai_! We have to go through the proper channels to be able to even _think_ about finding him!"

Goku frowned. "And how long is that going to take?"

"I don't know!"

"But we're running out of time!" Goku's voice grew in volume. "Gohan's already transformed! I bet he's already hit super saiyan 2!"

"I know Goku, but what can we do?" King Kai scowled through his shades. "I'm too low level! I don't know how to contact the Supreme Kai directly! Heck, I'm not even allowed to go to his planet!"

"Then what are we supposed to do!?" Goku was yelling now. "We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

King Yenma glanced down at the two dead guys. He watched them for a minute before sighing heavily, interrupting them. "The Grand Kai may know how to contact him."

Goku looked up at Yenma gratefully. "Thanks Yenma! That's a good place to start." He reached out and grabbed hold of King Kai. He held two fingers to his forehead and concentrated. "Let's go."

King Kai panicked. "Wait wait wait! We can't just barge into the Grand Kai's-"

And they were gone.

***Meanwhile on Earth***

"He transformed!"

"I can SEE that, dumbass!" Vegeta didn't even look at the namekian warrior beside him he was so irked. Who let him transform anyway? It wasn't his job to watch the boy! They floated side by side, studying the golden saiyan and trying to plan their next move. But what moves could they plan? They practically taught the boy everything he knew.

Vegeta finally turned to Piccolo. "If we can't stop him, it may mean the end of this planet."

"No shit Sherlock."

The prince growled menacingly. He turned back to the teenager and grimaced. If he had hackles, they'd be on end. He hadn't felt an aura like this since… well, since he went through his own testing phase.

"Fighting him should only be our last resort." Piccolo scowled at Vegeta. "Could he be trapped in another memory?"

"Oh I don't know, why don't you go ASK!?" Vegeta spat viciously, moving into his fighting stance. He didn't have time for stupid questions today.

Piccolo grit his teeth. "Fine! Have it your way!" He ripped off his turban and cape. He powered up and shot towards his former student. Vegeta watched in horror. He hadn't actually meant it!

The demi-saiyan watched the namekian approach dispassionately.

"Gohan!" Piccolo shouted above the rushing wind. "Snap out of it kid!You aren't…"

Suddenly a hefty blow snapped Piccolo's head to the right. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head. The warrior hit the earth with a meaty thud. He never knew what hit him.

"_Morn na tye vaše rodyt!" _Vegeta cursed. Of course Piccolo would get sucker punched right out of the gate. Why WOULDN'T that happen in a fight to protect the earth?!  
(A pox on both your houses!)

Vegeta powered up to his maximum and yelled loudly at the teenager. "_Jste ztratili svůj zdravý rozum?! Zničíš všetko!_"  
(Have you lost your sense of reason?! You will destroy everything!)

The red eyed saiyan focused intently on Vegeta. "_Kidé je ten silnýt? Sten rovnako ako ja, takže musíten vediet._"  
(Where is the strong one? You are like me, so you must know.)

Vegeta was stunned. He was conscious and responding? "_Ten silnýt?_"  
(The strong one?)

Gohan's deep voice rang out. "_Řekni mit kidé je._"  
(Tell me where he is.)

Realization hit him like a lightning bolt. _He's talking about Kakkarot! _He swore under his breath. _He's looking for his dead father! Damn it all to HFIL!_ This made things indescribably harder. This meant Gohan had a goal. This subsequently meant that he would eventually destroy everything if he couldn't find his goal. They had to beat him before that happened. Vegeta scowled at the youth.

"_Oyn je mŕtvyn. Budemik tým keto tan porazit._"  
(He is dead. I will be the one to defeat you.)

Gohan paused. He looked thoughtful for a moment before breaking into a feral grin. "_Klamešt, ale prijmem vašun výzvun._"  
(You lie, but I accept your challenge.)

"_Blázen! Nejsem…_" Vegeta's words were cut short as Gohan rocketed towards him, grinning like a maniac. He immediately went on the defensive.  
(Fool! I'm not…)

Blows like cannon fire hammered against Vegeta's block. A particularly hard punch made his arms shake. Vegeta growled in irritation before counterattacking. Some of his attacks made it through, managing to hit the ascended saiyan in front of him. The ascended prince grinned toothily and redoubled his efforts. He pushed Gohan back a few meters, but was again forced to guard against rapid fire attacks.

They fought back and forth for a while until another pulse of angry ki forced them apart. Gohan's lip was bloodied, but Vegeta was more badly bruised. Both were grinning like grade-schoolers who found their mom's secret stash of candy. For the two saiyans, this kind of fighting was pretty fun.

The teen demi-saiyan smirked as he wiped the blood away. "_Si hodný súper, alet nemátev porovnaní sín výrazným jeden._"  
(You are a worthy opponent, but you don't compare to the strong one.)

Vegeta bristled. He took offense to that. Nobody, but _nobody,_ compares him to Kakkarot!

"_Drž hubut tyr bezcenné pol plemenar! __Jste nemohlin porazit králíčekt__, jste beszocasé omluva pro bojovník!_" He snarled. Gohan's face darkened further and he wanted to smack himself. The insult stung his pride, but he should've known better than to retaliate with another insult. It would only make things worse. Rule #1: Don't bait a hormonal saiyan.  
(Shut up you worthless halfbreed! You couldn't defeat a bunny rabbit, you tailless excuse for a warrior!)

Gohan clenched his fists and roared up at the sky, his energy shooting higher. His ki expanded, sending a wave of heat blasting into Vegeta. He threw his arms up to protect his face as he was pushed back and away from Gohan.

"Vegeta!" A voice called out behind him.

"_CHANA?!_"  
(WHAT?!)

"What?"

Vegeta let loose a string of curses and turned to see Krillin and Tien. "WHAT?!"

"We're here to help." Tien ignored the wrathful look Vegeta shot him and focused on Gohan. "How is he?"

"What do you THINK?!" Vegeta shouted at him.

Krillin winced. "Geez, no need to be so uppity about it." He glanced around nervously. "Where's Piccolo?"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Vegeta howled angrily. He powered up again and launched himself back at Gohan. Another brutal fistfight ensued.

Tien watched the fight, eyes narrowed as he tried to follow the lightning fast movements. Krillin instead scanned the area, searching for Piccolo. He finally spotted the still green form on the ground in the middle of a park and gasped. "Piccolo's down!"

Tien swore. "We could've used his help."

"THAT'S your reaction?" Krillin looked aghast at his three eyed friend.

"Oh come on, he's fine." Tien nodded at the unconscious green man. "Just knocked out. He'll probably have a killer headache when he wakes up. Right now we have bigger problems to worry about." He looked back at the fight. It was going poorly for Vegeta. "We need a plan."

"Yeah." Krillin watched Vegeta take a particularly nasty blow to the kidney. "We don't want to kill him, but I bet we couldn't even if we tried. Knocking him unconscious is our best choice… but the only way to do that is to go at him like we mean to kill him." Krillin sighed. "Chichi is so going to murder us after this."

Tien snorted. "Anyway…"

"We could try ranged attacks." Krillin suggested halfheartedly. "Keep him down with your tri-beam cannon while we try to knock him out with energy blasts."

Tien grimaced. "I don't know. It's a shaky plan at best."

"If you have a better idea, please feel free to share it with the class."

"I don't, but..." Tien sighed heavily. "I'm really starting to wish that we didn't have to worry about saiyans."

"Yeah…" Krillin smiled wryly. "But we wouldn't be here without 'em."

"Truth." Tien shot up higher into the sky, preparing to use his most powerful move. Krillin powered up as high as he could and shot into the fray. He evaded Vegeta and started double teaming Gohan. The teen saiyan merely grunted before upping his game to the point where he was successfully evading and countering both fighters' attacks.

Somehow, Krillin got lucky with a right feint and kicked Gohan hard enough to distract him. "NOW!" He shouted at Vegeta, hoping he'd get the idea.

Both fighters flipped away from Gohan as a tri-beam cannon slammed down mercilessly on his head. Gohan braced against the unseen force and looked skyward. His eyes narrowed into a death glare and he suddenly vanished.

Vegeta's eyes bugged out. Krillin's jaw dropped. Tien fell beaten and unconscious to the ground below.

"He knows instant transmission?!" Krillin threw his hands in the air. "Wait, of COURSE he does! It would be too easy otherwise!"

"Can't your precious '_kami_' do something about that?!" Vegeta shouted at Krillin.

"Dende isn't a miracle worker!" Krillin shouted angrily back.

"AUGH!" Vegeta brought his hands together in front of him. "SCREW THIS!" Power gathered in his gloved hands. Lightning sizzled over his arms and down towards his fingertips. Veins pulsed in his forehead as he prepared for his signature move.

Krillin scowled at Vegeta before lifting his own hands. A disk of pure energy formed in each palm. They began spinning as Krillin pumped more ki into them. Seconds later, Gohan reappeared in front of them. He was in a battle stance and looked right about to throw out a new punch. Eyes red, brows pulled together in a fearsome scowl, teeth bared in a snarl, Krillin felt a new sense of panic.

But they didn't hesitate. As one, the two veteran fighters released their attacks.

"FINAL FLASH!"

"DESTRUCTO DISK!"

The final flash burst from Vegeta's hands in a massive explosion, filling the air with a blue-white light. The two energy saw blades spun around the blast, aiming for the spot where Krillin knew Gohan to be. With a quick motion, Krillin flung his hands down and the disks disappeared into the light of Vegeta's attack.

_Please let this work._ Krillin prayed silently. He watched as Vegeta pumped even more energy into the blast. He looked like he was using all his ki for this one. _Please, _please_ let this work._

Eventually the blast dissipated. Vegeta panted from the effort it took, but remained in his ascended state. Krillin scanned the area and felt his jaw go slack.

The son of his best friend floated in the sky in the same place where they'd last seen him. His golden hair was growing longer and more radiant, reaching past his shoulders. His clothes were ripped and torn, but there was barely any damage on his body. Hovering in each hand was a kienzan. The same kienzan that Krillin threw moments ago.

And he looked pissed.

Krillin gulped. "Oooooooh shit."

***Meanwhile in Otherworld***

"Sorry man… I don't have the Supreme Kai's digits."

Goku growled lightly. "So you don't know how we can find him?"

"Like I said man," the Grand Kai said from his position in the bathtub, "the guy is kind of elusive. The best we can do is to send up an SOS and hope he sees it." His cool shades glinted in the light of the nicely tiled room. "Other than that, I can't help you."

"Darn it! We're running out of time!" Goku clenched his fists. "There's got to be a way to find him!"

"Goku! Stop badgering the Grand Kai!" King Kai scolded his warrior. He turned to the naked old man in the tub and bowed repeatedly. "I am SO sorry for the intrusion."

Grand Kai smiled jovially. "Hey, no worries North Kai. Today was kind of a bust anyway." He stroked his white beard thoughtfully. "But you know… you could just let him go down there and stop his son."

"Are you kidding?!" King Kai's jaw dropped. "It could potentially destroy the boundary between the mortal world and the spirit world!"

"We've let him go before." Grand Kai shrugged. "I don't see why he'd break down the realms now when he didn't before."

"With all due respect, it's not our call to make!" King Kai slumped. "I'd take him there myself if I could but…"

"Yeah. You're dead." Grand Kai frowned sympathetically. "That's a real drag. Wish I could help you guys more but…" He looked around the room suddenly. He tilted his head at King Kai in puzzlement. "Where'd Goku go?"

"Goku?" King Kai looked around and frowned. "Goku?! You gotta be kidding me! Where'd he go this time?!" He broke out in a sweat. "I swear, he better not have…" He attuned his antennae to earth and facepalmed.

Grand Kai started laughing. "Looks like your boy went AWOL."

"He is in SO much trouble! Why, when I get my hands on him…" King Kai paused in the middle of his tirade. He finally picked up on Gohan's energy. His jaw dropped. "Holy Beerus in a bathrobe."

Grand Kai looked at the North Kai in bafflement. He turned his own senses to the planet earth and let out a low whistle.

"Daaaayumn."

***Meanwhile on Earth***

"GRAAAAAAAAH!" Krillin let loose a war cry, fighting to keep the rain of ki blasts going. His energy was seriously low. His clothes were torn in so many places it felt like he was wearing a fishing net. He could feel the broken ribs throbbing painfully under his skin. The ex-monk fired shots desperately to keep his distance from the raging saiyan.

Beside him, Vegeta fired his own energy in large beams. The saiyan prince was breathing heavily and blood soaked through what was left of his spandex uniform. He was too prideful to admit that he was hurting, but Krillin could tell the fight had been taking a toll on him. In fact, he looked kind of like how he did on Namek, during the fight with Freiza. He was taking the brunt of the attacks, diverting Gohan's rage away from the city. Still, damage could be seen in the crack, debris, and general mass chaos in the surrounding area.

In other words, this fight was not going well at all.

Krillin watched as Gohan evaded the blasts deftly. The blonde hair he was sporting seemed to grow increasingly longer as the fight continued. It was half way down his back and fuller than he'd ever seen it. It resembled more of a lion's mane than anything else he'd seen on a saiyan.

Truth be told, it seemed like this fight was getting dragged out. Krillin grit his teeth and dodged a retaliating shot Gohan fired back at him. With the speed and ease with which he took out Piccolo and Tien, he'd expected their fight to be the same. At the very least, he expected to be taken out way earlier. What on earth was holding Gohan back?

Suddenly Gohan phased out of sight and Krillin swore. He spun around, searching desperately for the young saiyan. They couldn't afford to lose him. Not when the stakes were so high. Krillin found a strange relief as Gohan appeared directly behind Vegeta. That relief died quickly as he wrapped his powerful arms around his weakened senior in an effective grappling technique.

"Vegeta!" Krillin cried out. He shot to the prince's side and fired punches into Gohan's liver.

There was no response. At least, no response directed at Krillin.

"_Aj pneumatík zet vašich heir! Řekni mit kidé je!_" Gohan roared angrily. He squeezed strongly, locking his wrists together in a firm grip. He didn't have to struggle very hard to keep Vegeta imprisoned in his grip.  
(I tire of your games! Tell me where he is!)

Even though he felt the strength and energy difference between himself and the younger saiyan, Vegeta still fought mightily against his restraints. "_Oyn je mŕtvyn!_" He hissed through teeth gritted in pain. His many wounds were making themselves known. "_Oyn je mŕtvyn a nie je nič čok možete urobit mo tom!_"  
(He is dead! He is dead and there is nothing you can do about it!)

"_Klamar!_" Gohan squeezed harder and was rewarded with cracking sounds.  
(Liar!)

Vegeta screamed in pain, desperately trying to get free of the arms that were breaking his ribcage. "_Prečoby som klamal!?_" His voice was hoarse. It sounded like he couldn't get enough air.  
(Why would I lie!?)

Gohan frowned in consternation. "_Hovovíte pravdu?_"  
(You speak the truth?)

"_Àno tyr blázon!_"  
(Yes you fool!)

Krillin felt a little more than freaked out. They were speaking some strange language and Gohan was crushing their surly friend into tiny bits and he wasn't stopping for some reason and he couldn't do anything to help and… _No!_ Krillin shook his head. _I can't allow myself to think that way!_ He wasn't about to be useless _again_! Krillin abandoned caution to the wind and formed another kienzan in his hand. He was about to use it to cut Gohan's arms off when the teen spoke.

"_Tak prečo mám prodlevan?_" He growled, releasing Vegeta suddenly and pulling his arm back. The deep gut punch he gave Vegeta knocked out what little wind the prince had been able to regain. Vegeta struggled to breathe and helplessly dropped to his base form. Gohan scowled in disgust and viciously kicked the older saiyan to earth.  
(Then why do I linger?)

Krillin watched in horror as Vegeta plummeted into a nearby building. The impact practically shattered the foundation. The building held firm for a split second after the impact before collapsing on top of the unfortunate warrior. And then there was a large explosion. He winced in sympathy pain at the sight of the mushroom cloud. He knew that saiyans were tough enough to withstand such punishment, so he'd probably be fine. Probably. Himself on the other hand…

Krillin gulped as he turned back to his young friend. Red eyes bored into his own. He looked into those eyes and despaired. Gohan's ki was still rising. There was no way he was going to stop him now. He glanced at his still formed kienzan and set his jaw. He may not be as strong, but he was a warrior through and through. And if that meant fighting his dear friend until his last to protect his family, then so be it!

With a loud yell he hurled the kienzan directly at Gohan. The teen saiyan angrily backhanded it into a nearby building. Krillin followed in the wake of the kienzan, coming nose to nose with Gohan. He started into his own rapid fire combinations with the furious energy of the desperate.

Gohan took every hit and didn't even flinch.

Krillin flipped back and away. He prepared to fire off a kamehameha wave when a hand closed roughly around his throat. Krillin choked and lost the energy he had gathered for the attack. He scrabbled at the hand squeezing the life out of him. This was bad. This was really bad! He couldn't get free! He was going to die _again_! And this time, he couldn't be wished back! This was going to SUCK! He turned his darkening vision to the man who held him at arm's length.

Gohan held him easily. His expression was a frustrated, confused kind of anger. Krillin looked at him and, instead of feeling the fear that had gripped him earlier, he felt a deep compassion well up from within him. Perhaps this was Gohan's inner struggle on the outside. He didn't really know how to cope with everything he'd experienced in his lifetime. Maybe this was just the manifestation of that frustration, that helplessness, that rage he must've felt seeing his friends and his family die at the hands of monsters. It made sense in a strange way and Krillin found he really couldn't stay angry. As the darkness closed in on him, Krillin smiled gently at the teen.

_It's alright Gohan.  
_

Krillin was almost lost to the realm of darkness when suddenly air greeted his lungs in a bright explosion of light. Krillin gasped desperately at the life saving air and coughed deeply. Wet, coppery tasting fluid filled his mouth and he spat, coughing and breathing and trying to live. Kami, it hurt to breathe. Light and color started to return to his vision and he realized he was falling. He used the last of his ki to right himself in the air and slow his sudden descent to the ground. He landed, panting in a mix of pain, effort, and relief.

He fell to his hands and knees. _That was close. Waaaaay too close._ He spat out another mouthful of blood and grimaced as his body protested further movement. _Gonna be feeling that in the morning. _Breathing hurt, but he was so, so grateful for the oxygen. He figured that he wouldn't be able to talk for a while. Swallowing a sensu bean would be next to impossible.

He was so sure he was just about to die! Gohan really almost killed him, but he let go. What in the world had happened? It took a few minutes for his vision to return to normal, but when it did he looked back up at the sky. His breath caught painfully in his ruined throat.

_Goku?_

* * *

_He's here._ Gohan felt the energy appear behind him like a bolt of lightning. Startled, he dropped the fighter from his grasp. Frankly, he didn't care about the short warrior in that moment. He'd already bested the little man. Now his real goal floated behind him. Still, it took him a moment to fully grasp the concept. The spiky man said he was dead. Was he truly there?

He spun around and stared wide eyed at the powerful figure hovering in front of him. Dark spiky hair, eyes full of fury, firm stance, powerful aura…

"_Silnýt jeden._" He breathed.  
(The strong one.)

"Gohan, stop it." The voice washed over him like a memory from a long forgotten dream. "You aren't yourself. I thought we'd finished this a week ago."

Gohan didn't hear him. He looked at the strong one in awe. Energy sparkled beneath his skin like gold dust in strong sunlight. His eyes burned with the selfsame light._ He's like me._ His mind supplied surprisingly. _He's saiyan._ Power shimmered in the air around him, though he hadn't even transformed.

Gohan tensed. _He hasn't transformed yet._ A low growl rose from within his chest. _He hasn't even transformed yet!_ Anger, unbidden and white hot, burned in his mind. His ki shot higher in response. _Am I not even worthy of his time!? Am I not worthy of this battle?! No! I'll show him… I'll prove I am worthy of this power!_ Slowly, he brought his outstretched hands together in front of him.

"_Kaaaaaaaaaaah…_"

The man's face hardened into a fierce glare. "Gohan… what are you doing?"

Gohan pulled his hands towards him, building the energy needed all the while.

"_Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh…_"

"Stop it Gohan!" He hollered angrily. "I don't want to fight you! You can control this!"

The teen saiyan shifted his hands so they rested at his side. His stance widened in midair as he built his energy even further.

"_Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…_"

"If you let your power get any higher, you could potentially destroy the earth!" The man pleaded angrily, seemingly oblivious to his son's complete disregard. "Don't _do_ this!"

The energy coming off Gohan continued to grow higher.

"_Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh…_"

The strong one's pupils shrank as the energy in Gohan's hands finally registered in his mind. "Gohan…"

_I'll show you. _Gohan's eyes went white. _I'll show you who I am._

"_HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_"

The man threw his block over his face as the massive wave of energy blasted the air around him away. He all but vanished as the ki swallowed him up.

Outside the wave of energy, the world was burned down to contrasts. The bright white light of the attack washed away all color, all sound. Everything was turned to a stark black and white as the wave grew in intensity. On the ground, all those conscious cowered behind what little shelter they could find. Nothing they had ever seen compared to this.

Gohan was lost.

There was no sense of time, no sense of place. There was only himself, the burning in his veins, and the white hot attack flowing from his hands. He felt his ki rise higher and higher. His skin burned with the effort it took to keep it inside his body. The only release it found was through the attack, so that's where it fled. Yet it burned even hotter as it rushed there. Gohan bared his fangs in that white and black world, feeling the energy begin to change him. He wasn't there yet, but he was close. So close he could taste it.

He only hoped that the strong one was as strong as he hoped he was. Otherwise, this would all be for naught. He would not know the end of this all burning, terrible power. He would not know who he was. He would have to search elsewhere for the answers he sought.

Slowly he cut the energy from the attack. It was incredibly painful to bring the energy back into his body. The stream of ki thinned before drying up completely. The world slowly came back into color and sound. However, the colors weren't as vibrant as they had been. Nor was the sound quite the same. It was much too quiet.

Gohan froze. His hands were still in the final position of the kamehameha wave. His eyes frantically scanned the area. _He's gone?! No. No! He can't be gone! He can't just…_

A presence suddenly appeared behind him. Gohan whirled around and was met with a bone shattering punch to the face. Gohan cried out and spun through the air. He finally caught himself from the force of the punch and glared angrily at the person responsible. His red eyes widened at the sight.

The strong one had transformed. Golden hair as rich and full as a lion's mane cascaded down his back to hang beneath his thighs. A lone piece spiked down over his eyes. Eyes that burned with a fierce blue power. His eyebrows had vanished, giving him an even sterner countenance. His clothes were shredded, but there was nary a scratch on him.

Gohan wiped away the blood from his lip and grinned. _Finally!_ He rocketed back at the strong one with a loud yell and started the fight in earnest.

Powerful blows met equally powerful blocks. Technique met technique and rained hurt down wherever their fists landed. They moved faster than light as they darted around the city. Paying no heed to the damage they dealt to their surroundings. The only thing either cared about was dealing more damage to the other.

Gohan allowed his ki to rise unchecked as he fought. _I'm not there yet!_ He grunted in pain as a kick made it through his block. _There's something I'm missing! _In fact, Gohan found himself going on the defensive more and more as the other fighter proved that he was the stronger of the two. He cried in frustration as another vicious kick sent him flying into a nearby building. He smashed through the glass and skidded across plush carpet.

There was no time to recuperate as the strong one was on him almost immediately. They crashed through the opposing wall and back into the air, fighting in a series of blurring movements. Gohan finally got a hit through the other's guard and pushed him back slightly. He followed up with a combination of energy attacks from the slight distance.

The strong one batted them away angrily and bore down once again on the younger fighter. Gohan was once again on the defensive as he tried to keep the strong one at bay. He grit his teeth and fought on doggedly. Slowly, painfully, the rising ki in his body gave him enough speed and power to be almost on par with the fighter in front of him. Soon, the attacks that before didn't even touch the strong one before, got through. Blood spilled, bones broke on both accounts, and Gohan's hair grew.

Suddenly Gohan felt a kick punish him from the side. Pain shot through his body and he cried out. He plummeted to the earth, followed closely by the other fighter. He landed and flipped away only to shoot back towards the strong one at breakneck speed. They met in a fierce clash on the ground.

Suddenly the strong one caught his punch. Gohan reacted quickly, catching the strong one's punch himself. Their hands locked and they pushed against each other mightily. The earth trembled beneath their feet. Had it been shaking the entire time? Neither warrior stopped to think about it. His ki continued to grow and the wind beat around the two warriors with an intensity of a hurricane. Trees and bushes were uprooted and blown about. Cars were shoved about mercilessly, their alarms ringing out in a kind of panic. Any people left in the area also panicked, running for shelter.

The earth itself cracked under the weight of their struggle.

Gohan stood, locked in this stalemate. His muscles screamed with effort. _Would it all be worth it?_ He wondered in the battle of strength against strength. _Is this truly a way to find his answers?_ His blood boiled at the idea. _Of course it is!_ He looked up to meet those furious blue eyes and bared his teeth in a bloody snarl, challenging the warrior he faced. He would not be beaten today! Not even if he had to die! He would find his answers if it was the last thing he did!

The man across from him didn't respond right away. Those blue eyes seemed to look deep within the teen, seeing past the flesh and bones. He studied him for a long moment. Then, though the man didn't weaken in the slightest, his eyes seemed to soften.

"_Čo ešte bojuvú za?_" He said.  
(What are you fighting for?)

Gohan's eyes widened. "_Ch-chana?_"  
(Wh-what?)

The strong one didn't respond. Instead he frowned as if confused. He pushed him back a little harder, taking advantage of his surprise to gain a little ground.

Gohan grit his teeth and dug in his heels, straining harder against his opponent. He tried to focus on the fight, but the words of the strong one echoed in his ears.

_What am I fighting for?_ He… he didn't know. He knew _why_ he fought. To prove himself worthy. To find out who he was. But… what for? What was the underlying purpose behind those things? Why did he need to find out who he was? Why did he need to prove himself worthy?

What was the reason?

The strong one broke the standoff with a punch that rattled Gohan's brain. He was sent flying. He bounced off the ground a few times before righting himself. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain and gripped the sides of his head.

What was the reason for fighting?

His ki, which was still rising at a pretty steady rate, shot even higher. He roared in pain as it seared behind his eyelids. He dropped to his knees and shuddered as the power changed his body. Muscles expanded and contracted as ki surged through them. Electricity, the same electricity that had been arcing over his body since the beginning of this fight, shot off of him and scorched the ground. His hair, now grown down to his rear, spiked higher than before.

What was the reason for power?

The strong one was ignored as Gohan fought his inner battle. Time seemed to slow even as his adversary closed in to continue the fight. Oh, he knew he was coming. Gohan's senses were just as amplified as the rest of him. They stretched far and wide and told him of all the things he didn't want to know about right then. He knew the people of the city were in a panic. He knew that the military were coming. He knew that his family…

Gohan's breath caught. His senses suddenly zeroed in on two particular energy signals. Far on the other side of the city, in Capsule Corp., they wavered in fear. It was almost like an out of body experience, how focused he was on their life forces.

Suddenly, he was there.

He didn't even think about using instant transmission. It just happened. He opened his eyes and looked down at Capsule Corp. intensely. Floating far above the building in the midst of the city, he trembled with power unexpressed. He felt the panic of the people in the building multiply. All fearing him. His anger increased and he was just about to let out another roar when a small voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Gohan!"

His eyes darted down to see a little boy run out on the lawn. _He's a saiyan. _His mind supplied annoyingly. A woman was screaming, but neither saiyan heard her.

Goten looked up at the sky and waved in excitement. "Goahn! You're back!" He lifted into the air and ascended quickly to float at eye level with Gohan. He frowned. "Wow, you look awful. What happened big brother?"

Gohan was astounded. There was no fear in the little boy. He didn't smell it from him. He smelled it all around him, but… there was nothing from the boy.

_He's… not afraid of me?_

Suddenly a presence at his back made itself known. Gohan half turned to see the strong one appear with an attack fired directly at him. The beam of light was already shooting from his hands. Gohan's eyes went wide. _What is he DOING?!_ The young one was about to get hit with the same attack!

He spun about fully and caught the blast in his hands. Behind him, the boy screamed in fear. His heart clenched in his chest at the sound. He grit his teeth, bearing his fangs fiercely. There was no way in hell he was letting this blast go. This was _his _fight! Why would a true warrior _ever _involve another soul? The boy was innocent!

The boy was _his brother_!

The boy was _Goten_!

Suddenly everything came back to him in a flash. His memories hit him like a brick wall. In that moment, battling this colossal energy attack, he remembered.

He remembered his family, his friends, and his life. He remembered his heritage, his past, his triumphs and failures. He remembered who the strong one was. _Goku. _He remembered the green man, the spiky man, the three eyed one, and the short one. _Piccolo, Vegeta, Tien, and Krillin._

He remembered who he was.

The teen saiyan fought against the strongest blast he'd ever felt and remembered. _I am Son Gohan. I am of saiyan and human. _His mind sang with the words. _I am a student, a warrior, a brother, and a son._ His body thrummed with energy that sent him higher than he'd ever been before. _I am my own person. Unashamedly different from this world._ His eyes cleared back to the startling blue of a true super saiyan.

_I fight for my family. I fight for my friends. I fight for my world._

His hands braced themselves against the energy blast as the pieces fit themselves together in perfect clarity.

_I fight to protect what I love._

* * *

"NOOO!" Goku cried, stopping the attack as best he could. But it was too late. He watched in horror as the attack he prepared fired just as he meant it to. The enormous beam of energy sang as it shot towards his sons. He put most of his energy into that one, trying to stop Gohan before any more of earth was destroyed. He didn't know Goten would be right there!

He had just moved to stop the blast when Gohan whipped around and caught the attack in his bare hands. Goku had to stop short. He pulled his guard up, thinking that Gohan would redirect the blast back against him. He heard Goten scream and swore. This was bad! He didn't want this to happen! He didn't want to put either of his boys in danger! He grit his teeth behind his guard. No father should have to ever fight their son like this. Yes he knew it was the only way to save the earth, but he didn't want it! Then a loud and horrible scream cut through his thoughts. He winced at the sound of it, but was surprised to hear it change. It shifted from a guttural animal sound to that of a genuine war cry. Goku opened his eyes to look back at his son in amazement.

Gohan was glowing a bright white gold. His body was completely shrouded in the light to the point where you couldn't see any of his features. Just this outline of white gold fighting with a furious blue white energy mass. He screamed louder and the blue white energy seemed to shrink in the face of the light that Gohan was emitting.

A second passed and the attack disappeared in a bright flash. Gohan floated in front of his little brother, still glowing that gold white light. A minute passed. Slowly the light began to fade. When it had cooled completely, Goku's jaw dropped.

Gohan had transformed.

He floated in a powerful stance, back ramrod straight. His hair was even longer than before, sweeping down to brush his calves. Electricity sparked over his body in waves. His eyebrows vanished and his forehead became more pronounced, giving his glare a sterner look. Overall he seemed larger. And it wasn't just his muscles.

It was his eyes.

They were blue, but it wasn't just the color that knocked Goku for a loop. Something behind his eyes had changed. Goku stared into those blue, blue eyes and tried to name it. It wasn't anger. It wasn't intelligence. It wasn't arrogance. _It's self assuredness_. He realized belatedly. Everything about Gohan now said he was confident in who he was. It was too obvious to ignore.

_And that power! Wow! _Goku swallowed nervously. He thought he was powerful with super saiyan 3, but holy Grand Kai in a bathtub! He watched as Gohan looked down at himself. Examining his new body and power. _I sure hope he's out of it now._ Truth be told, he would've been torn to pieces by that first attack had he not gone to super saiyan 3. Gohan had been dancing around that level the entire fight, but couldn't seem to make the jump to reach it until now. It was a hard fight. He wasn't quite sure how many bones he'd broken this time, but it was a pretty high number.

He cleared his throat. "Uh… Gohan? How ya doin' there son?"

Gohan looked over at him. There was a pregnant second where Goku thought Gohan was still lost to the madness of battle lust. Then his son burst into a brilliant smile. "Doing great Dad."

The relief that Goku felt nearly sent him back to his base form. He slumped in the air. "Oh thank Kami."

"Gohan!"

Goku watched as Goten smacked into Gohan with all the ferocity of a 6 year old bear hug.

"Gohan you are so cool! Lookit your hair! It's so LONG! Are you gonna have to get it cut?" Goten released Gohan and shot toward Goku. "Daddy! You came back!"

Goku chuckled, embracing his youngest fiercely. "Of course I did. I couldn't let Gohan go all crazy now could I?"

Gohan floated over to his father and grinned. "Thanks Dad. I don't think I could've reached my peak without you." He flexed his arms in amazement. "It's strange, but… I think I can go higher."

Goku's eyes went wide again. "Seriously?"

Gohan nodded.

"That's incredible! You mean there's a level above super saiyan 3?" Goku reeled slightly. He grinned tiredly at his son. "Please tell me you're not gonna aim for it today. We're both in pretty bad shape. Plus this form is really hard to sustain for longer than…"

Goku watched as Gohan's eyes rolled up into the back of his head. He immediately reverted back to his base form and fell to the city below.

"Oh crap! Gohan!" Goku dropped to his base form and shot down to catch his son. Goten hot on his heels.

* * *

Krillin sat among the debris. He'd been waiting less than patiently for a sign, a word, anything that would let him know the fight ended. He'd lost track of the two fighters up until they met in a standoff on the ground. When they vanished afterwards, it was almost like someone had cut off the movie mid fight scene. They were so close in power level that he frankly didn't know who would win.

Then the air cleared and the angry ki vanished.

Words couldn't describe the relief he felt. It was finally over. Either Gohan hit his peak or he got knocked out. Whatever it was, Krillin didn't care. It was a sign that the fight was over. He stretched out his senses and relaxed. Gohan's energy was still there. It wasn't hormonal and threatening any longer. He was fine.

_Thank Kami._ Krillin grinned softly to himself. _I don't think we could've taken much more._

Movement to his right caught his attention. He watched Piccolo slowly pick himself up off the ground and look around. He held a hand to his aching head as he made it over to Krillin. He looked around at the damage to the surrounding city and shot Krillin a questioning look.

Krillin grinned, nodding. Piccolo sighed and plopped himself down next to the short warrior in an unexpected show of camaraderie. He breathed heavily in relief and allowed himself to relax. They sat in silence for a while.

"Is it over?" A voice broke the silence gruffly. The two warriors turned to see Tien limp over from where he landed. Krillin nodded again and he sat next to the other two with a huff. "Kami this place is a mess. What'd I miss?"

Krillin make a painful croaking noise and gestured to his throat. Tien grimaced at the perfect bruise of a hand around his windpipe. "He choked you out huh? Man. That really wasn't Gohan we were fighting."

Piccolo pinned Tien with a stare. "That _was_ Gohan. The side he keeps under lock and key." Piccolo turned his inscrutable gaze skyward. "You remember his monkey form?"

"How could I not?" Tien sighed. "I guess that makes sense. He was practically an animal fighting the way he did. The only difference was that he didn't have a tail for this fight."

Krillin nodded. It made sense, though he preferred his own view on Gohan's fight. They sat in peaceful silence again for a while. Then Krillin shot Piccolo a questioning look and gestured to the surrounding rubble.

Piccolo grunted. "Haven't seen him."

Tien looked at Piccolo dubiously. "Who, Vegeta? He's right over there." He pointed to a very beat up Vegeta slowly limping towards them.

Piccolo smirked. "Speak of the devil…"

Vegeta approached them slowly. "I'm only here to ask who did it." He rasped tiredly. The prince spat blood out of his mouth before slumping against some debris beside the others. "Who finally beat him?"

Piccolo snorted. "Who do you think?"

Vegeta stared at him uncomprehendingly. Krillin grinned and mimed spiky hair and a goofy grin.

"Seriously!?" Vegeta groaned, smacking his forehead. "That grave dodging, third class, ignorant sonova… When!? How?!"

Tien shrugged. "Hell if I know. We woke up just a bit before you. Krillin's throat is crushed. He can't tell us even if he did see it." He rolled his eyes as Krillin waved his arms about. "And no, we aren't about to play charades."

Krillin shrugged and got shakily to his feet. He pointed to Vegeta and then thumbed over his shoulder.

Vegeta scowled at Krillin, but understood his meaning. He was too tired to argue. It was time to head back home. The warriors got to their feet and prepared what energy they had left to fly away when a voice called out to them.

"Wait!" They turned to see a young lady, hair choppy and unkempt, arm in a sling, dodging around rubble towards them.

Vegeta sighed heavily. He muttered something in his foreign tongue and lifted into the air. The prince was done for today. Earth was saved, but he'd been beaten and he was not about to answer a bazillion questions from a little earth female. He flew away unsteadily without another word.

Krillin shook his fist silently after him. Tien rolled all three of his eyes and lifted into the air. "I'll make sure he gets back to Capsule Corp. in one piece. See you guys there." He zipped off after the prince. Before they'd flown too far away, Piccolo could hear them bickering.

"Keep away from me you useless triclops!"

"I'm just trying to help!"

"Help yourself! The brat took you out the same way the FIRST time you fought him!" (lol)

Piccolo sighed in a longsuffering kind of way and looked back at the dark haired girl. She jogged up to him, very much out of breath.

"You guys… *huff huff* do you… *huff huff* know where… *huff* Gohan went?" Videl panted.

"Sorry kid." Piccolo said gruffly. "Can't help you."

"What?" She huffed. "You're… *huff* kidding me!" She took a deep breath. "This was the last place he was seen! He couldn't have just disappeared!"

Piccolo irritably looked away. "Like I said, I can't help you."

Videl's eyes went wide. She drew the wrong conclusion and tears built up in her eyes. "But… but I need to find him. I need to apologize. H-he can't be gone! I still need to tell him that… that I…"

"Let me stop you there kid." Piccolo cut her off, blushing a slight purple. Krillin started laughing, but had to stop as it started another coughing fit. He spat off to the side and smiled up at Piccolo, who shot him an annoyed glare. "He's not dead if that's what you're wondering."

Videl's face flared up in a blush. "Oh."

"He took the fight elsewhere." Piccolo folded his arms across his chest. "No, I don't know where he went or even if he's still there." Videl slumped dejectedly and he sighed in irritation. "But I do know he's alive. His ki has returned to normal. He'll be fine."

"Thank Kami." She breathed in relief. She looked around at the damage to the city and then up at Piccolo disapprovingly. "You guys aren't gonna stay to help clean up, are you?"

Piccolo grinned mischievously. "We'll help in our own way." Videl frowned and looked at Krillin for confirmation. The ex-monk winked at her and with a broad grin lifted into the air and flew away.

Videl looked back at Piccolo. "You're gonna let me come with you right?"

He smiled inwardly at the little girl. _He must mean a lot to her. _"No. We don't know what he's going to be like when he wakes up." Piccolo said stoically. His eyes softened as he looked at the downcast little female. "Go home and heal. You'll see him again."

And with that, he lifted into the air and was gone.

* * *

**A/N:** AND SCENE! *feigns death*

AAAAAUUUGHGHGHGH.  
I worked on this for TWO MONTHS. TWO. MONTHS. Gagh.  
I hope it was worth the wait. This has been coming since the beginning. Ya'll who called Goku having something to do with it were right. Goku-ex-machina foreverrrr. That chapter ending was kinda meh though... I wanted to leave it off at Gohan falling headlong into the city, but figured that Videl needed at least a little bit of closure. Hopefully that won't come back to bite me in the butt. :I

Also, there's something I need to address before I put up the next chapter. I've decided not to continue this on into the Buu saga right now. In writing the next chapter, it behooves me to leave it open to the possibility of Buu showing up, but know that when I end this story, it is done. There ain't gonna be a sequel. There might be a different fic regarding the Buu saga, but it probably won't connect with this one.

Also…

****BONUS GAME!****  
Since we're coming up on the end of this fic, I wanna do another special thing. I've been kinda saving it for when this fic gets to 500 favs, but you lot have been super supportive, so whatever.  
You know how this works! PM me with your choice!

1\. What if Vegeta didn't pull Gohan's tail out in chapter 3?

2\. Under The Radar Abridged.

3\. How to train your Saiyan.

4\. Goku gets arrested for some reason.

Remember, majority rules. As always, R&amp;R if you wanna. MUCHTHANKYOUS!


	30. And the Dawn After

**DISCLAIMER:** Please see chapters 1-29.

Ch. 30: And the Dawn After

* * *

Gohan dashed through the field, tail waving out happily from underneath his oversized yellow shirt. It was a perfect day for running! The sun was shining, it was warm, and he was outside! He couldn't recall why his mom let him play before his studies today, but he didn't care. There was so much to do, so much to see!

He giggled in childish glee as butterflies startled from the daisies growing in the field. Soon there were hundreds of them all fluttering up into the air as he ran. He laughed with delight, but kept running. He knew where he was going.

The child stumbled briefly, but picked himself back up and kept dashing along. Eventually he reached a small hill with an old apple tree at the top. The apple tree had a sizeable hole in the trunk, but seemed to be growing just fine. Gohan grinned and made a beeline for the tree.

He rushed up to it and gave it a hug. "Hello tree!" A warm breeze rustled the leaves and red apples. It seemed to Gohan that the tree was saying hello as well. He looked up at the leaves and spun around. He got dizzy rather quickly and tripped, rolling through the soft grass. He laughed aloud, a high pitched sound that filled the air. He came to a stop on the side of the little hill and flopped on his back, grinning joyously.

He stared up at the sky, blue as can be. Fluffy white clouds were pushed along by the warm summer breeze. He watched the clouds awhile, spotting shapes he recognized. He saw one that looked like his dad's hair and giggled. Birds swooped through the clouds and sang sweetly, calling out in their melodious voices.

"You are who you choose to be." They sang.

Gohan smiled brightly. "I'm Gohan!" He called out to them. He loved the birds. He loved the clouds and the tree and the sky and all the butterflies. He looked down and patted the earth with his little hand. "Daddy said you're alive too, right?" He said to the ground. He sat up and looked around. When he saw no one around, he flopped back down and whispered, "I love you too, don't you worry."

He stroked the grass, giggling when it ticked his arm. "I'm gonna protect you. You're part of my family too." His childish voice was full of conviction. "I choose to be Gohan and I'm gonna protect you." He spoke like he was telling a secret. "I' m gonna protect you and Momma and Poppa and Icarus and Grandpa and Goten… and Vegeta and Bulma and Trunks and Oolong and master Roshi and Puar and Yamucha and Tien and Chiaotsu and mister Piccolo and Dende and Krillin and Eighteen and Maron and Videl and Sharpner and Erasa and... everybody else!"

He held his hands against the sky and watched the golden shimmer of life energy under his skin. Blue and gold looked very nice beside each other. He smiled broadly at the sky. "Yeah. I'm gonna protect you." He let his arms fall to the grass. The birds swooping in the clouds started a new song.

"You are Gohan Live Love Protect." They sang aloud.

He smiled, satisfied. "I am Gohan, Live Love Protect. I promise." Soon the soft, warm breezes and gentle birdsong made his eyes heavy. He let out a wide yawn and let his head roll to the side. A gentle snoring could be heard as little Gohan was swept away to dreamland.

* * *

Gohan slowly opened his eyes. He blinked sleepily a few times and yawned. He turned his head and looked around the room. _I'm home. _He smiled and rolled his eyes at himself. _Of course I'm home. Where else would I be?_ He stretched his body leisurely. Kami he was SO comfy. When did his bed decide to get so nice? Usually he had to fight to sleep in.

He tucked his arms behind his head and looked out the window. It was beautiful outside. There were only a few fluffy clouds in the sky and a cool breeze trickled in through the slightly open window. The bright sunlight and cool breeze lulled him back into a light doze. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this relaxed. It was a perfect morning and there was absolutely nothing troubling him.

"I am Gohan." He murmured in a sing-song manner, his dream still fresh in his mind. "Live Love Protect." He hummed the tune as he lay there. Completely at peace.

…wait.

He frowned. _Did I forget something? _He turned it over in his mind for a moment. _No… I don't think so…_ No homework overdue… no chores undone from yesterday… what was it? _Huh. _He shrugged. _Must be nothing._ He sighed contentedly and rolled over, snuggling into his pillow.

…

The covers burst off his body as he rocketed from the bed. "WHAT AM I DOING HOME!?" He rushed to the door and threw it wide. He tore down the stairs to the living room. "MOM WHAT'S Going on…?" He trailed off.

His mother looked absolutely shocked. Across the table, a very startled Bulma stared at him.

"Gohan?" Chichi breathed.

Gohan was puzzled. That was a very strange reaction. Then he looked down.

He was wearing only his boxers. The teddy bear ones.

His face turned a bright red and he fled back to his room. He slammed the door behind him and looked around, running a hand through his hair. "What am I doing home?" He murmured. He blushed harder. "What am I doing home _in only my underpants_?!" He searched his memories. The last thing he remembered was training in the wilderness to try and find his limit.

He growled to himself and shook his head. "Did I make it or didn't I?" He frowned and stormed over to his dresser. He pulled out a black t-shirt and jeans and slapped them on. "I can't remember." He grumbled. "My power was supposed to make me go crazy and try to destroy the earth and _I can't remember_!" Frustration mounted in his mind.

There was a timid knock at the door. Gohan straightened from pulling on his jeans. "Yeah?" He called, zipping and buttoning them.

"Gohan? Are you decent?"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Yes mom. You can come in."

The door opened slowly to reveal Chichi's worried face. She took a second to look Gohan up and down before launching herself full tilt at her son. Gohan was surprised to say the least, but caught his mother as she buried her face into his chest.

"You're awake!" She wailed, hands gripping his t-shirt in tight fists. "You're awake and alive!"

"Shhhh… mom, it's okay." Gohan soothed, somewhat bewildered. "I'm fine." He pulled his mother away from his chest to look her in the eye. He was completely bewildered when she reached up and pulled his upper lip away from his teeth. Then she reached up and pulled his head down to her level, staring intensely into his eyes.

She sighed in obvious relief, tears welling in her eyes. "Thank Kami."

"Mooooom," he groaned, pulling away from her prying fingers, "I'm just fine." He paused and frowned. "I don't know why, but I am."

"Looks that way anyway."

Gohan looked over to see Bulma leaning casually against the doorframe. He blushed a little. Stupid adorable teddy bear underwear. Why wouldn't anyone let him live it down? Gohan cleared his throat and willed the blush away. "Bulma, what are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you while Vegeta was training with Goku." She grinned at the teen. "Nice underpants by the way."

He scowled at Bulma, but then her words registered. His eyes widened. "Dad's… here?"

"Yeah, didn't you know?"

"Wow. Has it been another seven years already?" Gohan laughed lightly. He ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair. "Just how long was I asleep?"

Chichi looked at him seriously. "Three days."

Gohan's eyes widened. Three days? He frowned. What in the world knocked him out for three days?

Bulma studied his face a moment. "You don't remember?"

"No." Gohan shook his head. "I haven't the faintest idea."

Bulma sighed. "I suppose it'd be best if we all go talk to Dende then." She pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial. Gohan was surprised to hear her address Vegeta.

"Hey Vegeta… Yeah yeah, quit your yelling. I… oh shut your face. I just wanted to tell you Gohan's awake. We're all going up to the lookout." She paused. "I don't care if you don't want Goku to take you, just make sure you get your butt up there." She hung up and rolled her eyes. "Ugh… Men." She muttered.

"Uhhh…"

"All will be explained young one." Bulma made a Jedi hand motion. "C'mon. We can take my chopper. I don't think you're in much shape to go flying."

Gohan tilted his head at the blue haired genius. "But I feel fine. Really." He shrugged. "Plus I can get us there faster." He placed one hand on his mom's shoulder and held out his other hand with that classic Son smile.

Now it was Bulma's turn to look bewildered. Her jaw dropped as the implications struck her. "You really…"

Gohan's smile became slightly wider. "You betcha."

* * *

"Did he really reach his limit?"

"And how!" Goku grinned. "He really gave me a workout!"

"Only you would call it that Goku." Dende sighed heavily. "It's not like you two cracked the earth a few times or anything like that."

Goku winced. "I said I was sorry."

"How are you even still here Goku?" Dende looked at his friend irritably. "You should've gone back to the spirit realm by now."

"Oh. Well you see…" The tall saiyan had the sense to look sheepish. "I didn't exactly leave with permission."

Dende's eyes went wide. "You didn't."

"I had to." Goku smiled brightly. "I couldn't just leave my son to destroy everything."

Earth's young guardian groaned. Didn't Goku realize how much trouble he caused? His palm hit his forehead with a light smack. Being guardian of earth was taking years off his life. The job should've come with a disclaimer.

Krillin laughed nervously. "So when's reality supposed to dissolve?" The kind little namekian had healed his throat after dealing with the extensive wounds on Vegeta. The thoroughly thrashed fighters came up to the lookout to recuperate after the harsh battle. After all, who better to heal them than kami himself?

Dende gave the ex-monk a very worried expression. "I don't know. It could already be dissolving for all we know. These things are difficult to tell sometimes." He paused. "Though I haven't felt anything unusual recently… Maybe reality is alright?"

Krillin sighed. "I hope so. Between the earth getting cracked and the eternal dragon restoring everything, I thought we might've missed it. Our lives are too crazy some days." He glanced over at Piccolo meditating silently nearby. Nothing ever fazed that guy. "How's Gohan doing?"

"Well…" Dende cleared his throat. "Besides being awake, I'm sure he's fine health wise at least. All that excess energy his body produced healed his wounds faster than I could."

Vegeta snorted. "That's no surprise." He crossed his arms. "He's a saiyan. That amount of damage was nothing. The only thing that kept him from awaking was the stress upon his mind." The only reason he traveled with Goku was because he felt it beneath him to fly around the world. The fact that he had to actually touch him to travel instantaneously repulsed him.

Goku grinned. "Wow Vegeta! You know everything!"

Vegeta scowled at his rival. It seemed to him that Goku went through his rite of manhood and came out even more immature.

Dende rolled his eyes. _Saiyans. _Turning from earth's greatest fighters, he looked out over the world and tried to relax. Hopefully everything was back to normal barring Goku. He sighed as the idea of reality fragmenting ate at his thoughts. Piccolo was right; he was too much of a worrywart.

"Can't you just, ya know, head on back?" Krillin asked Goku. Dende's ears perked up. "I mean, you know instant transmission. It should be a piece of cake."

"I know, but… I kinda don't want to go back yet. I miss being on earth with everyone." He scratched the back of head sheepishly. "Plus I think King Kai needs some time to cool off."

"I don't blame him." Dende said without turning. "He's probably trying not to come down here and murder you himself." The guardian sighed again. Frankly, he admired King Kai for putting up with all this craziness for way longer. He turned to Goku. "Gohan is probably heading here right now. Why don't you go pick up Yamucha, Tien and Chiaotzu? They said they wanted to be here to meet him."

Goku grinned. "Sure." He paused. "Wait, how do you know Gohan is coming?"

"Kami."

"Oh right." And he was gone.

"Some days I have to wonder about Goku." He muttered to himself. Ten seconds later, Goku popped back existence with Yamucha, Tien, and Chiaotzu.

"Back!" He grinned broadly and waved. "Bye!" And was gone again.

Dende blinked. "That was quick." He looked over at Yamucha. "Where's he off to this time?"

"To get master Roshi and Oolong." Yamucha replied. He shrugged. "Guess they wanted to be here too."

"Couldn't imagine why." Tien said sarcastically. "I heard they had a betting pool going."

Dende sighed long-sufferingly as Goku reappeared with an excited Roshi and Oolong. He turned to the other end of the lookout and tried to still his nerves. Gohan would be arriving soon.

"So…" Roshi started slyly, "you really think he found his limit, huh?"

"Yeah." Goku nodded. "I'm pretty sure he found it that time."

Tien let out a short bark of a laugh. "Forgive me if I don't believe you Goku. After the last time, I don't want to get my hopes up."

"But he really did!" Goku whined.

"Right. And I'm the new emperor of Satan city." Oolong retorted sarcastically.

Goku looked curiously at Oolong. "But I thought King Furry was…"

"I was being sarcastic!" Oolong shook his head in disgust. "Trust me, the kid ain't gonna be able to keep his cool after some poor sap tells him he nearly destroyed the earth."

"I did _what_?!"

The attention of the group snapped to the left. There stood Gohan plain as day with his mother and Bulma in tow. In a t-shirt and jeans, he looked very normal. Normal hair color, normal eye color, normal Gohan.

But the presence that surrounded him was definitely not the same as before!

He seemed taller, fuller, and more muscular than before. His eyes were brighter, set beneath a firm gaze. He had his arms relaxed at his sides, but seemed to radiate energy. He was confident. Self assured. His ki wasn't elevated, but it didn't need to be. One look at him told everyone what he was thinking.

"OnetwothreeNOT-IT!" Oolong cried and hid behind Yamucha. "I ain't getting my bacon cooked today!"

Gohan looked his friends and family over. His eyes finally settled on the little guardian. Instant tension.

Dende broke out into a sweat. _Oh help._

Gohan's glare sharpened. "What. Did. I. Do?"

There was silence. Nobody was sure if Gohan really had reached his limit despite Goku's assurances. Most everyone didn't want to speak for fear of setting Gohan off again. After a time, Krillin spoke up nervously. "Do, uh… do you remember anything about the fight?"

Gohan shook his head and was once again met with silence. Again, no one really wanted to talk about it, even though they had all shared the story with each other earlier.

Piccolo stirred from his meditation. He opened his eyes and huffed irritably. "You people are pathetic." He looked to Gohan. "Your fight to find your limit cracked the earth. Satan city was nearly destroyed in the process. We fixed it all with the dragonballs, but the people are still shaken up about it."

"Great." Gohan scowled. "Fantastic." He crossed his arms. "There was no chance that you could just… oh I don't know, wish away their memories of the past three weeks or something?"

Piccolo smirked at the teen. "Sorry kid. We already used the wishes on fixing the planet, the city, and the people."

Gohan grunted. "It figures." He pinned the group with a single look. "How'd the fight go?"

More uneasy silence. How were they supposed to tell him about his attack on the mall, his near killing of Krillin, and general destruction of the city?

"I don't believe it!" Boisterous laughter broke the silence startled the group. They turned to see Vegeta stride over to Gohan. "What happened to the cowering bookworm I knew before?" His scornful laughter dropped abruptly and he looked at Gohan, sizing him up. Truly the difference between before and after was astounding. It wasn't physical growth, but there was change to the boy. As the eldest of the last of his people, it was his duty to judge the tested. Had the boy truly entered into manhood? He scowled ferociously up at the teen.

There was only one way to find out.

"Who are you?" He challenged.

Gohan didn't flinch away. Instead he looked Vegeta in the eye. "I am Gohan." The teen saiyan replied. There was no hesitation in his voice. Firm assurance was all Vegeta heard.

"Hn." Vegeta grunted. _Confidence can be faked._ He scowled harder. "You are a weakling." He baited.

Gohan's glare hardened, but his ki didn't budge an inch. "Only to those who underestimate me."

Vegeta's eyes flashed. _I see. He really did find himself. But how far can he still go? _A smirk played around the corners of his mouth. "That remains to be seen, half-breed."

Across from the two saiyans, Chichi was about to get physical. "Stop right there mister! You stay away from my son you-"

"Chichi." Goku nabbed her shoulders before she got any further. She looked up and saw a strange expression on her husband's face. "Let them be." She quieted and looked back at the drama playing out before them.

Gohan glared icily at Vegeta. "Step down Vegeta. My blood is none of your concern."

"Your blood is tainted with humanity."

"My humanity is what makes it strong."

Vegeta scowled. "Prove to me you are as strong as you claim."

"I have already proven it to the only person to whom it matters." Gohan set his jaw. "Anything beyond that is dust in the wind."

A deep growl rose from within Vegeta's chest. He bared his teeth as the growl increased in volume. Gohan growled right back, teeth bared for the world to see. Still his ki remained at his baseline.

The growls died and in the silence Vegeta stared at Gohan in slight surprise. He hadn't risen to the bait. _So there is more to be seen from you, Gohan son of Kakkarot._ He relaxed his posture and allowed aslow, genuine smile to spread over his face. _You have found your place and become a man. _He clapped one hand on Gohan's shoulder.

"_Vítán, Syn červenou hvézdoun._" He said. There was a time long ago when his people would celebrate the battle into manhood. This time however, there would be no welcome celebration. Vegetasei was gone. This was the best he could give him. The smile dropped from his face at the thought.  
(Welcome, son of the red star.)

"He's fine." He said gruffly over his shoulder. Then he brushed past the demi-saiyan and left the lookout without another word.

Gohan watched him go, amazed. A renewed sense of peace and purpose washed over him at the prince's gruff words. _That just happened._ He turned back to the gob smacked faces of his family and friends and grinned sheepishly. "No really, what'd I do this time?"

There was an explosion of laughter and movement as relief blossomed through the group. Tension flooded out of them like water from a bucket. Above all the noise however, there came a shout of triumph.

"Ha! Take that, ya pig!" Master Roshi did a happy little jig. "You owe me 50 zenni!"

More laughter ensued. As one, his friends and family gathered around Gohan to tell him the story of the battle with his own power.

* * *

Videl leaned against the barrier around the school's rooftop, staring blankly out over the city.

"Crazy, isn't it?"

She glanced over her shoulder for a second before staring back out across the cityscape.

"Yeah."

"I mean, how could most of the city get destroyed and suddenly be back to normal?" Erasa waved her fork in the air as she spoke. "Not to mention all the people who got hurt are suddenly fine! It's just too insane to believe!"

"You're telling me." Sharpner lifted his arm. "I had another three weeks till I got my cast off and then yesterday it was healed. Healthy as can be." He took a bite out of his sandwich. "Ha' doo yoo 'splain 'at?"

"I can't! That's what gets me!" Erasa continued, very into her rant at this point. "There's no way to like, even guess at how it happened! The news is writing the whole deal off saying it was just a mass hallucination or something like that. How could they even like, think that none of it was real?" They hadn't really had a chance to talk about it since they all got back to school. Officials, meaning the parents and the principal, decided since the city was fine, school included, they'd resume daily lessons as normal.

Sharpner swallowed. "Well how else are they going to explain it? I'm pretty sure we all didn't just imagine Gohan doing all that damage…" He trailed off. His sandwich sank down until it was resting back on his plate. He didn't feel like eating much anymore.

Erasa caught the vibe and quieted. "That… really was Gohan though, right?"

Videl sighed heavily from her position against the barrier. "Yeah."

"How could he… I mean, why would he…" Erasa grasped for the right words. She eventually gave up and sighed much like Videl had. "How could this happen to Gohan? Our Gohan?"

Sharpner reached over and pulled his girlfriend into a gentle hug. "I don't know Erasa. But I know that Brains wouldn't do any of that on purpose. It was his power he couldn't control anymore or something like that."

Videl frowned. _There's got to be more to it than that. He wasn't in just a blind rage… He was conscious, speaking some strange language._ She didn't share the details of that day with anyone. The police were already looking for Saiyaman. Now the Gold fighter was on the wanted list. She didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was. But there was still something nagging at her about how he acted. She just couldn't explain it.

"Everything's fine now." Sharpner continued, trying to comfort the two girls. He knew Videl was still taking things pretty hard. "Hey, maybe Gohan had something to do with how everything's suddenly back to normal. What do you think Videl?"

Videl didn't turn from looking out over the city.

"Maybe."

"But why haven't we seen him since?" Erasa said hesitantly. "Videl said that his friend said that he was alive, but that could mean anything. He could be in a coma for all we know!"

Sharpner winced. "Way to make it sound terrible."

"Sorry… I'm just worried is all." She looked over at Videl. "Videl, do you think he's okay?"

"I don't know Erasa." Videl was just as worried as she was. Maybe even more so because of all the things unspoken, the things left hanging between her and Gohan. Her heart ached to set things right. More than that, she wanted to see him again. Even seeing him in the midst of chaos a few days ago, it was like flipping on a light in a darkened room. She knew now that she did love him, but what was to become of that? What would the future hold? Was that Piccolo guy right? Was she ever going to see him again? She leaned against the barrier and felt the weight of her worry wash over her like a sudden torrential rain.

"I just don't know."

* * *

Gohan leaned back in the chair, in awe. "Wow. I… really snapped didn't I?"

Dende nodded soberly. "Yeah. It was pretty bad."

"Gosh. I can't believe I did all those things..." He shook his head then looked guiltily at Krillin. "I am _so_ sorry Krillin. I can't believe I almost killed you." He hung his head in shame. "And then I went ahead cracked the earth while I was at it."

"No worries bro." Krillin smiled. "It's all fixed now. We're good. Besides," he smirked, "your dad kind of helped crack the earth too. It's not 100% your fault."

"Yeah, but still! It's all so surreal. I mean, you tell me I hit… 'Super saiyan 3'? My hair grew so long it was down to my ankles? I can barely believe it." Gohan put a hand to his head. "It feels like you're telling me about a bad dream I had."

Dende leaned forward across the table. "Do you remember anything about the fight? Anything at all?"

Gohan thought for a minute. "I remember being angry. I remember needing to go to save someone…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "Other than that, my mind is blank."

"It might come to you with time." Piccolo said. "Some things are never truly forgotten."

"I guess so." Gohan grunted. He opened his eyes. "And you wished the city back to the way it was before the fight?"

"To before you went through 'puberty'." Dende supplied.

Gohan groaned. "Can we please stop calling it that?"

"Why should we?" Piccolo smirked. "It certainly changed you."

"Changed me?" Gohan quirked an eyebrow at his former mentor. "Changed me how?"

"You're different."

Gohan pouted slightly. "That's not an answer…"

"You know, I think he might be right Gohan." Bulma came to stand next to the tall namekian. "You just seem… bigger somehow."

"You think I grew?" Gohan looked down at his body. "My clothes still fit just fine." He looked at the blue haired genius and smiled dubiously. "I think you might have the wrong impression there Bulma."

"My intuition is never wrong!" Bulma protested. "There's something different about you kiddo. You seem more…" Bulma thought for a minute. "Grounded."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Grounded?"

"More stable I mean." Bulma tried to explain, blushing slightly. "Solid. Like you're more… here."

"Huh." Gohan considered it. "I think I get it." He did feel different. Actually, he felt really, _really _good. Like, even better than before this all started. Physically, mentally, he felt renewed in every sense. He shook his head and grinned broadly. More time to ponder on that later. "Still, I'm more interested in how Dad's still here."

"Good question." Dende sent an unfriendly look Goku's way. "How _are_ you still here?"

Goku laughed. "Search me!"

"You're not actually alive are you?" Bulma narrowed her eyes at Goku. "That seems like something you'd pull."

"Are you serious?" Chichi scoffed, bopping her husband gently on the arm. "Come on Goku! You haven't been fooling us this whole time have you?"

"No way!" He looked up and pointed to the golden circle floating serenely above his head. "See the halo?"

Suddenly his halo vanished.

Goku did a double take. He stared up at the space above his head and waved his hands in the empty air. Puzzled he looked at the shocked faces of those around him.

"Uh… guess I'm alive now?"

There was a pause.

...

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" The collective shout shook the lookout all the way down to earth. Everyone exploded into questions.

"What just happened?!"

"You're alive?!"

"What the what?!"

"How?!"

Realization set in after a few moments and Krillin laughed. "Who cares how? Goku's back for good!" He leapt from his seat to grip Goku about the shoulders.

"At least until he dies again!" Yamucha laughed, hugging his old friend around the neck. "And don't go doing that anytime soon!"

"Ill try not to." Goku responded cheerily.

"Gokuuuuuuuuu!" Chichi cried, throwing herself at her husband. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to come back! Now you can actually help around the house and be involved in your son's lives and get a job and get a car and…"

"Woah there Chi!" Goku laughed, gathering his wife up in his arms. "Hold on a second there. Let me be alive for a minute before giving me the 'honey-do' list!"

Gohan beamed at his parents. After all the problems he'd been facing, it looked like things were finally working out. His dad was back for keeps. How? The teen pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Krillin was right. He was back! Who cared how it happened? He laughed aloud and got up to join in on the group hug that was slowly forming around Goku.

Goku himself laughed and tried to hug everybody back. After the hug was over and the people stood back from him, laughing and crying and just being happy to the point of silliness, he grinned widely and said, "I think it's safe to say that all's well that ends well."

"_Speak for yourself Goku!"_

Goku's face went pale as the words echoed in everyone's mind. Silence fell and he gulped nervously.

"Hey King Kai."

"_Goku… you are in SERIOUS trouble! Do you know how many rules you just broke?! Hmmm?!"_

"Aww it can't be that bad King Kai."

"_Oh YES IT CAN!" _Everyone winced at the force of the mental shout. _"You could've unleashed all those souls in HIFL! HIFL Goku! That means the red ribbon army, the ginyu force, Frieza, Dr. Gero, Cell, every single baddy you've put away PLUS all those who came before you WOULD BE ON EARTH RIGHT NOW!"_

Goku's eyes widened. "Woah."

"_But that's not all! Not ONLY that, but then YOU would have been sent to HIFL afterwards and your body would have been taken away! Even worse, your SPIRIT would've been dissipated! In other words, YOU WOULDN'T EXIST ANYMORE!"_

The words shocked everyone. No one realized how badly things would've gone. Goku gulped. When he spoke his voice was very small.

"Oh."

"'_Oh' is right! You could've messed the world up BIG TIME!"_

Gohan was the first to shake off the shock. "Hey King Kai, how come none of that happened?" He asked brazenly, to the astonishment of everyone else in the room. "If Dad messed up so badly, then why is he alive again?"

"_You know Gohan, I asked the very same question myself." _King Kai seemed to sigh. _"Turns out, the two of you fighting actually caught the attention of the Supreme Kai."_

Piccolo staggered back as if the words had physically struck him. "The Supreme Kai?!" He said in disbelief.

Gohan looked at Piccolo. "Who's that?"

"The most powerful being in the universe. Head above all other Kais." Piccolo said, regaining his composure though he was sweating a little. "He's one of the creators."

Yamucha whistled. "Wow. I knew it was a heck of a firefight, but the head honcho was interested?"

"_Yes. You see, we were looking for him when Gohan first transformed. Either he got our message or caught scent of your power… I don't know how he found out, but it was the Supreme Kai who kept reality from breaking apart while Goku was reigning in Gohan's power. He was the one who gave Goku his life back." _

Gohan frowned at the sky. "But why would he do that? Dad broke the rules."

"_I know Gohan. But he said that your power was needed for the future. I don't know what he meant by that; I only spoke to his assistant."_

"Well that's pretty nice of him." Goku said cheerily. "Thanks for telling us King Kai. Make sure to tell him we said thank you."

"_Sure, but you owe me one Goku."_ King Kai sighed again. _"I swear, being North Kai should've come with a manual. I'll see you when you die next. King Kai out."_

The call was cut. Everyone just kind of stared at Goku for a moment. The tall saiyan warrior shrugged and smiled in a carefree way. "You guys hungry?"

Cue classic anime fall.

"Same old Goku." Oolong muttered, picking himself off the floor. "Food first, questions later."

* * *

Later that evening, after a small reunion with Goten that involved hugs and a very long dialogue about how Gohan didn't need a haircut anymore, the family sat down to a lush dinner lovingly prepared by Chichi.

Goku munched away happily at the mountain of food set before him. "Chichi! This is the greatest! You're such a good cook!"

Chichi smiled at her husband, blushing lightly. "Oh thank you Goku." How he managed to reply without spraying food everywhere was something she'd have to figure out later. She turned to Gohan, who was eating with as much fervor as his father. "Gohan, how are you feeling?"

Gohan swallowed his mouthful of food. "Really good mom. I'm completely recovered." He replied before immediately diving back into his dinner.

"That's good to hear." Chichi said, picking daintily at her own meal. "However, I think it would be in your best interest to stay home from school the rest of the week."

There was a pause as Chichi's words registered. Then, in a beautiful spit take, Gohan sprayed rice in a wide arc. Something similar happened in Goku's mind and he started choking on a mouthful of chicken. Gohan leapt up and pounded on his father's back until the chicken was dislodged and swallowed. Then both men stared, completely shocked at the female.

Chichi raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"Are… are you feeling okay mom?" Gohan ventured carefully. "You seem a little out of it."

Chichi looked a little put out. "I'm feeling fine Gohan."

"No, he's right." Goku reached over and put his hand against her forehead. "You should probably go lay down."

Chichi pushed his hand away with a huff. "What's gotten into you two?"

"The mom I know wouldn't let me go without school for more than a few minutes unless I was sick or fighting to save the world." Gohan said soberly. His father nodded gravely beside him. "I think you're a little worn out, maybe you should hit the sack early?"

"I'm fine!" Chichi scowled at her son and husband. "I just thought it would be nice to spend some time as a family since we haven't had Goku around for seven years!"

"Oh! Well, that's fine Chi," Goku said slowly, "but what about school?"

"School can wait." Chichi said firmly. "And there is to be no complaining about it, do you hear me?"

Gohan and Goku stared at Chichi for another moment, utterly flabbergasted. Then Gohan broke into a huge smile. He hopped over the table and caught his mom in a bear hug. "Mom, you're the best."

"I know I am. Now get off me and finish your dinner!" She said, slightly muffled from within the bear hug. Gohan released her and settled back into his chair for continued eating.

On the other side of the table, Goku let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. That was a little scary. He smiled and looked over at his youngest son. "So, what should we do tomorrow Goten?"

Goten beamed at his father. "Let's go on a picnic!" He sent little particles of food flying with every word. He caught the reprimanding look from his mother and swallowed hurriedly. "We haven't been on a picnic in _forever_! Plus, it'll be the first one with you daddy!"

Goku grinned right back at his son. "Yeah." Time to catch up on the things he'd missed.

After dinner, the boys pitched in to help clean up the dishes and Chichi put Goten to bed. Somehow, Gohan and Goku ended up sitting on the roof of their little home in the woods. As they sat there, relaxing, Gohan got to thinking. The events of the day traipsed about in his mind. He thought about his dad coming back to life at the lookout and the words of King Kai rolled around in his head.

"Hey dad?"

"Hmm?" Goku lay back on the roof, eyes closed, enjoying the cool night air.

"What do you think the Supreme Kai meant when he said, 'your power is needed for the future'?"

Goku sighed. "I've been thinking about it too. It means that something else is going to happen."

"You think so?" Gohan studied his father. "Really?"

"Yeah." Goku opened his eyes, looking up at the Milky Way that shone brightly far above their heads. "I think more bad guys are coming. He thinks he's gonna need all the help he can get."

"Huh." Gohan leaned back against the rooftop, laying next to his father. "What makes you so sure?"

"Just a feeling." Goku smiled at his son. "But you know what? I know we'll be ready for whatever it is."

Gohan relaxed, a soft smile on his lips. He understood his father's confidence. Even if it was too much for them, they'd fight to protect this world they loved. They would do all that they could to make sure what they loved was safe and protected. He raised his hand against the starlight and studied it.

Energy like gold dust glimmered under his skin.

"Yeah. We'll be ready."

* * *

**A/N:** WE DID IT! Gohan is happy again, Goku is alive again, and everything is GREAT!  
BUT that thing with Videl hasn't been figured out yet! This chapter was more like a decompression for me. I wrote it like... the next day after finishing chapter 29. But fear not.  
It's not over yet! It's not over ye-et!

And now, by popular demand…

**Under the Radar Abridged**

**DISCLAIMRRR**: NOOOOO

**A/N**: Hipstergecko is my name, Dragonball Z is my game. *karate chops the air* BEGIN!

Ch. 83654: The abridgening.

It was a normal school day at Orange star high. It was study hall and all the students were being quite well behaved as they sat in their seats and completed their homework.

Suddenly Gohan looked up from reading his schoolbook, a strange expression on his face. "Gosh, I don't feel so good. I think I might go home, worry my mother to the point of tears, tear up the mountain and almost kill Vegeta in a blind fury today."

Videl shot him a dirty look over her own textbook. "Oh no you don't! You have to tell me some bull about how you're not really a superhero and have no secrets and then I have to flirt with you in a very passive aggressive way while we both deny our feelings for each other!"

Gohan scowled at the raven haired beauty. "I would let you interrogate me and then give you some crappy lie about how I'm not a superhero, but I have to go get into an argument with my mom that leads to a near breaking point! THEN I have to fight my mentor, fight crime as my alter ego _and_ my alter alter ego, and somehow avoid you and keep from killing everyone in a hormone induced rage!"

Videl slammed her textbook on the desk. "Well I have to go fight crime in an attempt to keep myself relevant and rebel against my father in a way that also keeps my own insecurities at bay! THEN I have to fight you in the arena after school and discover that you really are a superhero and confront you in a very angry fashion! So I can't spend my day sitting around and taunting you and your hotness and cuteness and lovability even though it's what I have been noticing more and more recently!"

"And I can't sit around mulling over the fact that I am head over heels in love with you and don't want to hurt you even though you say _the most_ hurtful things about my father who was dead and suddenly came back to earth from the spirit realm to visit with us for a day!" Gohan growled his retort. "Besides! You have rebuffed my affections to the point where I'm going to fight my beloved father to the point where neither of us can move, but not to the point where my hormones are sorted out!"

"Well I'm _SO_ sorry that I can't bear to hang around you after disbelieving you about the truth of your alter and alter alter ego to the point where I say that our relationship is over!" Videl said angrily. "And now I regret my actions but you are too far gone in your instability that you leave the city for days only to return after I'm already up to my eyes in mobsters!"

"Well _I'm _sorry that _you_ couldn't keep your business to yourself and had to go charging in there and make me come to save you but ultimately lose my cool and destroy everything and everyone in a 10 mile radius but am somehow perfectly fine! Frankly, I think it had something to do with my little brother!" Gohan got up from his seat, staring angrily down at Videl.

Videl got up and was nose to nose with the dark eyed boy. "What about when I try to keep you from going ballistic and apologize but get scared out of my wits when I assume that you died!? What then Gohan?!"

Gohan looked slightly taken aback. "I… I don't know Videl."

Videl studied his surprise for a moment. "Me neither. Let's make out."

They met in a shower of sparks, sucking face like the next breath wouldn't come. Behind them, Erasa and Sharpner sat stunned.

"What… just happened?" Sharpner asked, jaw hanging a bit slack.

"I blame the author." Erasa stared at Hipstergecko. "You suck."

Hipstergecko reared back from her laptop. "Augh! Quit breaking the fourth wall dangit!" She pounded the keyboard. "You ain't deadpool!"

THE END

**A/N:** I was going to wait some more time to post this chapter, give ya'll more time to vote for the mini-story, but I figured you'd want the chapter sooner rather than later. Abridging my own story was weird. Came out a lot shorter than I anticipated. The competition came down to between abridging UTR and Goku goes to jail. Why ya'll want to put Goku in prison?!

Anyhow, tune in next time for the final chapter! (maybe!) It'll be worth your while! (maybe!) And see them figure this thing out! (MAYBE!)  
R&amp;R if you feel led. Hugs and Appreciations!


	31. Setting Things Straight

**DISCLAIMER:** You don't always get whatcha waaaant. But sometimes… You might just not own Dragonball Zeeeeeee.

Ch. 31: Setting Things Straight

* * *

Hercule Satan sat at his long dining table, nursing a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The concoction was hot, chocolaty, and completely of his own making. It was one of the few things he excelled at. He slurped at it, noticing how the sound echoed in the empty room. He set the mug down on the luxurious tabletop and stared at the lacquered surface.

He missed his daughter.

It was late and he was having trouble sleeping. The past few days weighed heavy on his mind. His daughter was held hostage and injured by a gang of insane thugs, a superhero had gone crazy leaving over half the city in ruin, and then everything was restored in the span of a day. It was completely crazy, but all true. It was enough to keep any father awake at night.

Truth be told, he'd had trouble sleeping for years. So, in the middle of the night, he'd creep down to the kitchen and fix himself a mug of hot chocolate to soothe his mind and help him sleep. After Videl had been born, he'd taken to carrying her with him if she was fussing late into the night. As she grew, they'd often meet each other at midnight for some hot coco.

But now those times were few and far between.

He sighed heavily and rested his head in his hand. When did he start living the lie at home? When did he really start purposefully keeping his daughter in the dark? It was strange, now that everything was out in the open, to think that the lie about the cell games might've been what caused them to drift apart. Was it the reason why he didn't see her at midnight anymore for hot coco? Or was it simply because he'd changed to fit the lie?

_Migeru would've known what to do_. Hercule sighed again and idly stirred his hot chocolate. He missed his wife sorely. _I've really made a mess of things._

"Hey Dad."

Hercule jolted upright and turned to see Videl standing in the doorway. Her short hair was tousled from sleep. Dark bags hung from beneath her eyes. He was immediately concerned for her well-being, but couldn't help the flood of emotions at hearing her voice. This was the first she'd spoken to him since that day at the carnival.

He spoke gently, afraid he might startle her away. "Hey sweet pea. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep." She said, walking over to where he sat at the table. She pulled out a chair next to his and took a seat. "Haven't been sleeping well since…" she trailed off and looked morosely at the tabletop.

"Well that's because you haven't had any coco." Hercule joked softly. He stood up from his chair. "Be right back." He bustled into the kitchen and snagged the mini marshmallows from the shelf. She was speaking to him again! He wasn't about to waste this opportunity. He poured more coco into a mug and dumped some marshmallows on the top. He walked out to see Videl in the same place he'd left her.

She didn't meet his eyes when he handed her the mug. She simply took it in her hands and savored the warmth. Hercule didn't bother speaking. He didn't want to ruin the chance for a conversation. He sat back down in his chair and brought his own hot chocolate to his lips. In the silence, he took the moment to look at her a little more closely. Besides having dark rings under them, her eyes didn't have that bright glimmer at the moment. Her brows were heavy over those dull blue orbs, like an invisible weight was pulling them down. She looked exhausted.

He watched as she raised her mug to her lips and took a long sip. The weight seemed to lessen then and her face relaxed some.

"Ahh." She murmured. "That hits the spot."

"You bet it does." Hercule agreed, taking a big slurp out of his own mug.

Videl chuckled softly. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"That's what daddies are for." Hercule said knowingly. He looked at Videl and his eyes softened. "What's on your mind sweet pea?"

Videl sighed. "Just… there's this boy and…" She trailed off.

Hercule bristled. _A BOY!?_ He face turned red and he had to physically restrain himself from jumping up and shouting at the top of his lungs 'I'll rip him limb from limb!' and 'how DARE he hurt my baby girl!' and the like. Instead, much to Videl's surprise, he took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down. _If I start going on about a boy, I might ruin this chance to talk to my daughter! _ He told himself firmly. (Hercule is a member of D.A.D.D.)

Videl watched him for a few seconds. Then she smiled a little. "Wow. Here I thought you were gonna go all super-angry-champion-dad on me."

"I still might." Hercule grunted, clutching his hot coco tight. No boys for his little girl. Not until they could beat him in a fight and show that they could protect her. That was one of his unbreakable rules.

"It wasn't him though. It was me." Her face crumpled a little. "I did something terrible to him and… He hasn't shown up at school since. I'm afraid he hates me." She set her mug down and burrowed her face into her crossed arms. "And… after all that happened last week, I'm afraid that… he was my friend and now…"

Hercule's anger dried up. "Videl, come here." He put one large arm around his daughter and pulled her close. "Now you listen to me." He said gently. "No friend, no true friend would ever hate you."

"But… but he told me the truth a-and I called him a liar." Her breathing was ragged. "I said I was done with him daddy a-and now…"

"Oh sweet pea." Hercule squeezed his daughter gently. "You have to make it right with him. He'll show up eventually and when he does, you hit him with an apology." She looked up at him with tear stains on her cheeks and he smiled encouragingly. "If he doesn't forgive you then it's his problem. You're the one doing the right thing."

She sniffed a bit, but nodded. "Thanks Dad."

He nodded, withdrawing his arm. _Speaking of doing the right thing…_ Hercule looked away from his daughter shamefully. "Listen Videl, about the cell games… I know you're angry with me but…"

VIdel sighed again. "Dad…"

"No, please just listen." His face creased in pain. "I was only doing what I thought was right. Now I know that I was wrong. I am so sorry that I lied to you. I only want what's best for you and I never realized how much it would hurt you not to know the truth." He looked at her sorrowfully. "You deserved to know from the start and I was too much of a coward to tell you." He lowered his eyes. "I understand if you don't want to forgive me, but-"

"I forgive you."

Hercule looked up, startled at the interruption. Videl was looking back at him with a gentle gaze. "Wha… really?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I understand why you did it, but I wish you would've told me yourself. It hurt a lot to find out from another source."

The big man winced. "Sorry."

"Hey, I'm past all that." She smiled at him. "You're my dad. That isn't going to change."

"Sweet pea…" Hercule's eyes filled up with tears of relief. He went to gather her in his arms for a hug, but she stopped him short.

"But you're not getting off the hook that easy." She leveled a no-nonsense glare at him. "There are going to be some changes around here. First off, you need to clean up your act. No more booze and women."

"Absolutely!" Hercule nodded vigorously, causing his receding afro to shake up and down. "I'm off the stuff as of today! And no more lady friends! Gotcha!"

She continued with an amused smile. "Second, we're giving stuff back. If you want to do publicity stunts, it's gotta be for a cause. We can donate to charity, the community, or whatever, but everything we gained from the lie we're giving back."

Hercule winced. That was going to take some doing. They had a LOT of stuff. Granted there were things that he had gained through his dojo, but the majority of fancy things were from publicity stunts. He was gonna have to hire an auditor. He nodded slowly. He'd rather have his daughter than any amount of stuff anyway.

"Finally, I want you to call a press conference."

Hercule's eyes widened. "You… you mean you want me to tell the whole world?"

"Not exactly." She said with a gentle smile. "We're just gonna set the record straight."

* * *

"Hey Gohan! Catch!"

The teenage demi-saiyan turned at the call and got a face full of fish. He flailed about, trying to catch the fish and not get slapped by its tail. After a solid minute of struggling, he finally managed to get a decent hold on the rather large slippery beastie. He glared over at his grinning little brother.

"Foul!" He called out, wiping water off his face. "Ten points deducted from Gryffindor!"

"No fair!" Goten responded. "The rules were to catch the biggest fish you could find! I caught mine first!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean throw it a-"

"Heads up!"

Gohan spun around again to see a massive fish come sailing right for him. The massive fish had to be at least the size of a minivan! His eyes widened comically and he dropped the fish he was already holding. The animal slammed into him, laying him flat out under the waist deep water.

Correction, the fish was the size of a _fully loaded_ minivan.

"Wow daddy!" Goten cheered. "That's gotta be the biggest fish I've ever seen!" He whooped aloud. "You're the best!"

Goku puffed out his chest proudly. It took him a bit to remember the hiding spots for all the big fish, but it was worth it. Goten thought he was the best. That felt really good.

Suddenly the massive fish flopping about in the shallows started to rise. An irate Gohan rose beneath it, lifting the fish clear out of the water. He spat out a stream of water and glared at his family.

"Stop hitting me with fish!"

Goten laughed aloud and Goku grinned mischievously. "Sorry Gohan. Thought you were ready for that."

Gohan snorted. He tossed the fish up on the bank. It landed with a wet thud and lie still. The poor fish had seen some bad days, but this had got to be the worst! The teenager looked the limp fish over and whistled softly.

"I'm going to have a hard time finding something bigger than that." He shrugged, a competitive grin catching his father by surprise. "My turn!" He jumped high in the air and gracefully dove into the lake with nary a splash.

Goku shook water out of his hair. He looked over at Goten. "So, who do you think is gonna win?"

"Hmmm…" Goten put a hand to his chin. "Gohan knows where all the big fish live," he spread his arms wide, "but your fish is sooooo big! I dunno daddy!"

Goku chuckled and sank down in the water. He closed his eyes and relaxed in the shallows. Over the past few days all of Goku's time was dedicated to his family. He didn't go off on his own like he normally would. If he did go out, it was together with his sons and wife. Today it was to go fishing in the lake for a fresh catch for dinner. Somehow it became a game of sorts. Kami knows how that happened.

The tall warrior floated in the lake on this bright sunny day and sighed happily. These were truly peaceful times. No worries about the next bad guy. No problems facing the world at large. His family was together and happy.

He heard a gasp and felt a shadow cross his face. He opened his eyes.

"FISH!"

His cry of surprise was cut off as Goku was slammed with a fish as big and as heavy as his own. Gohan stood off to the side, dripping wet and immensely pleased with himself.

"Wow big brother!" Goten leapt from the rock he'd been sitting on. "That's a huuuuuuuge fish!"

Gohan flashed a piece sign.

Goku lifted the fish from his body and stood up. The full blooded saiyan pouted from beneath the flopping animal. "That was mean."

Gohan laughed. "What? Can't take what you dish out?" He stuck out his tongue playfully at his father.

Goku tossed the fish on the bank and splashed water at his son. Gohan dodged the water, laughing and splashing his father back. Goten leaped into the air with a whoop and cannonballed a wave of water at his brother. A splash war ensued. Everything nearby was absolutely drenched by the time the saiyan water battle finished.

Laughing and shaking more water from his hair, Goku motioned over at the fish and smiled. "Gohan, go ahead and take these fish back home. We'll follow with the next batch." He grinned at Goten. "Ready to see the best fishing spots?"

"Yeah!" Goten beamed at Goku. Together they dove back into the lake.

Gohan laughed a bit more and clambered out of the water. He studied the two fish for a moment. They were practically the same. Though if you asked him, he'd say his was bigger.

_… Wait…_

He slapped his forehead. _Gohan, get your mind out of the gutter_. He gathered up the fish in his arms and levitated into the air. The wind blew faintly in the trees as he zipped back home. These fish would make a really good dinner, but they were really big. Hopefully his mom was up to the challenge. He landed in the yard and called in through the door.

"Mom! I'm back!" He shouldered the fish. "And I brought batch number one!"

"Thank you Gohan, but I'm not ready to cook them just yet." His mother's voice called back to him. He could hear the news on the TV playing in the background. "Why don't you set them in the kitchen for now?"

"Sure!" He called. It took him a little bit to maneuver the massive fish inside. He did his best to keep from dripping on the floor, but couldn't stop a few fishy splatters from falling. He looked at the splotches and tried to reason with himself. A little water never hurt anyone, right?

But Chichi would make him clean it up anyways. Better do it before she chewed him out. He sighed and snagged a few paper towels to mop up the mess. As he cleaned, he finally tuned in to what was going on in the living room.

"_We're coming to you live from the Hercule stadium where the hero of the world, Hercule Satan himself, has called a live press conference._"

Gohan rolled his eyes and mopped up the fish juices. What was Hercule up to now? Not that he cared. He tossed the paper towels out and snagged a bottle of water from the fridge.

"_There has been no report as to why the great martial artist has called this press- Oh! Here he comes now!_" There was a collision of voices and general madness. "_Mr. Satan! Mr. Satan! Why have you called this press conference?!_"

"_What news do you have for the world?!_"

"_Has a new threat to arisen?_"

"_What are your thoughts on the Saiyaman debacle?_"

"_Mr. Satan! Are you planning a new dojo? Is there going to be an addition to Satan City's illustrious martial arts repertoire?!_"

"_Are you still single? Is there a new Mrs. Satan on the horizon?!_"

Gohan nearly spit out his water. Hercule was getting married? He walked into the living room. He winced as the shouting got louder when Hercule took the podium. Videl was beside him. Her hair was short. When did that happen? Curious, Gohan casually leaned against the overstuffed armchair his mother occupied and watched the broadcast.

Hercule cleared his throat. The crowd of reporters and avid Hercule fans got quiet as he launched into his speech.

"_I've called this press conference today because an injustice has been brought to my attention. An injustice that has gone on for far too long. This is the day it stops._"

"What's he talking about?" Gohan muttered. His mother shrugged.

"_You are all aware that seven years ago I fought alongside a group of fighters to defeat the great menace called Cell._"

Chichi's eyes narrowed. "If he starts mouthing off again, I swear I'm gonna hunt him down and kick him where the sun don't shine!"

"Go mom." Gohan chuckled, but kept his eyes on the screen.

"_I wish to apologize to those fighters._"

There was a pause. Gohan and Chichi's jaws dropped.

"_For years I had been calling them cheaters and liars. Saying that they were only using light tricks to fight. However, recent events have shown me that those were not tricks, but an alternative fighting style. I now know that without their help, Cell would not have been defeated._" Hercule looked down shamefully at the podium. "A_ number of fighters died in battle that day. They put their lives on the line and paid the price. I have not shown them the proper respect they deserve. For that, I am deeply sorry._" He looked directly at the camera. "_If you are still out there, please forgive me._"

Chichi and Gohan swapped a wide eyed look. Chichi turned back to the television with a strange kind of amazement. "Well. I never expected that."

"Me either." Gohan shook his head. "Maybe he's not all bad."

"_Mr. Satan!_" A brave reporter piped up. "_Why haven't you done this sooner? Why did you keep the world in the dark about the other fighters?_"

The camera zoomed in on him as Hercule winced. "_Frankly I've been too blinded by fame._" He said sheepishly. He turned to the side and waved his daughter forward. "_Videl here was the one to smack me out of it._"

Videl walked up to the podium and nodded seriously. "_For too long we've basked in the adoration of our loyal fans. We have gained your respect, but what have we done with that responsibility? Open a few dojos? Do a few fundraisers?_" She shook her head. "_No. After finding out about this injustice, I swore that we would make it right to the people and the fighters from that day. We intend to make it up by giving the proceeds of our various public performances to charities across the world._" She smiled winningly at the people. "_My father fought Cell to protect the world, but helping people shouldn't stop there. We want to keep fighting. Protect the world from poverty, hunger, and illness. From now on, we're giving back!_"

The crowd went wild. Reporters were firing questions left and right whilst Satan supporters were going crazy with Mr. Satan chants.

"So it was Videl's idea." Chichi said with a smirk. "Somehow I figured that big oaf wouldn't have the guts to do it on his own."

Gohan looked at the image of Videl. Her eyes twinkled in the lights on the stage. Her dark hair was now short and choppy. Black spikes stuck out every which way, giving her a wild, edge-y look. She looked good. He smiled.

"Yeah. She's something else."

The noise died down and Hercule pointed at a few reporters for questions.

"_How did you discover this alternative fighting style?_"

Videl answered. "_From watching and studying old tournament videos. The techniques are quite old, but were effective fighting strategies and techniques in the past WMATs._"

"_Mr. Satan, do you intend to adopt these techniques into your own style?_"

Hercule puffed out his chest. "_Each fighter has their own way of dealing with their opponents. However, my techniques are the best! I won't be changing any of my fighting styles._"

"_Mr. Satan, Saiyaman and the rumored Gold Fighter have been known to use those techniques. Are they related to the Cell games in any way?_"

Hercule looked stunned. "_Uhh…_"

The reporters jumped on his silence.

"_Are these fighters a menace? What does this mean for the world's safety?_"

"_Are you able to combat those techniques? Can you protect us from Saiyaman?_"

"_Is it true that Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter are one in the same?_"

"_Will you be helping the police force to apprehend the Gold Fighter AKA Saiyaman?_"

Hercule took a step back. The sudden flood of questions about a sensitive subject caught him by surprise. Videl leaned forward over the podium. "_One at a time! Please!_" She shot a pained look at her father. "_Listen… about the Gold Fighter…_"

"_Excuse me._"

Videl whirled around to see a very shirtless man appear behind her. She stumbled back, a look of awe coming over her face. The camera zoomed in on the tall golden blonde man. He had piercing blue eyes and an aura of power about him.

"Gohan!?" Chichi gasped. She recognized that super saiyan mug! She spun around and glared at the spot where her son used to be. He was right behind her a second ago! She huffed and looked back at the uproar on the screen. "Oh that son of mine! What in the world is he thinking?"

"_It's the Gold Fighter!_"

"_Arrest him!_"

"_Run! He'll kill us all!_"

"_You're so hawt! Marry me Gold Fighter-samaaaaaah!_"

Chichi groaned as the people on the screen went into full panic mode. She felt a surge of worry as she saw cops trying to fight through the crowd. However, her eyes stayed glued to the screen. You see, when the cameraman abandoned the camera, it stayed focused on the stage. There, a small drama was playing out. She couldn't hear the dialogue, there was too much screaming and noise for the mike to pick up their words, but Videl was looking at her son with shock and awe. It was obvious that she was too stunned to speak.

Hercule however, took an unsure step towards Gohan. He said something beneath the roar of the crowd. Gohan spoke to him with a severe glare. He talked for a while, eyes keeping Hercule silent. At the end of his speech, the man flinched as if the words hit him physically. Gohan's face softened and he spoke again, gesturing to Videl. He talked a while, ignoring the cops that were drawing closer and closer, pulling their guns out.

"Hey Chichi! We're back with more fish!"

"SHHHHH!" Chichi turned and shushed her husband. "Just set it on the kitchen table with the others!" She turned back to the TV and hoped she didn't miss anything.

Hercule was saying something with his hands spread wide. After a moment, Gohan nodded. The big man reached out and took Gohan's hands. He said something else, a strange expression on his face. Gohan said something in reply and a huge smile broke out on Hercule's face. He pumped Gohan's hands up and down, tears shining on his face in the stage lights.

Gohan flashed that sparkling smile of his and said something more. Hercule laughed aloud. Abruptly he whirled back to the podium with a fierce glare.

"_HEY! Quiet down!_"

Silence.

Chichi's eyebrows lifted. Guy could quiet a room for sure. What in the world was that about?

"_Yeah the Gold Fighter's here, but I know him by a different name. This here's the delivery boy!_" Hercule's words caused the reporters to perk up and stop cowering. "_He fought alongside me at the Cell games. Without him, none of us would be standing here today!_" He turned to Gohan and nodded before continuing. "_He's got something he'd like to say, so you'd better respect him or else you'll have me to answer to!_"

Hercule moved off to the side, allowing Gohan to come to the podium. At home, Chichi scooted closer to the TV, wondering what in the world her son wanted to say.

"_Hello citizens of Satan City and the world._" Gohan's voice rang out, clear and confident. Startlingly blue eyes challenged the cameras. "_I am sorry to interrupt this press conference, but I felt I needed to say something._"

Goku walked into the room with Goten in tow. He quirked an eyebrow at the TV. "Hey, is that Gohan?"

"Shhhhh!" Chichi turned up the volume.

"_Yes, I was the little boy at the cell games._ _And yes, I am also known by my superhero persona, the Great Saiyaman._" He held up a hand to forestall questions. "_I know you have questions, but please listen to what I have to say._" He motioned to Hercule. "_This man was there the day my father died fighting Cell. Since then, he has written the fighters there off as frauds and tricksters. Frankly I never thought he'd ever apologize for it. Until today that is._"

Gohan looked out over the crowds, looking more mature than Chichi had ever seen. "_I have never held the events of that day against him. In fact, the other fighters there wanted to stay out of the public eye and were content to let Mr. Satan take all the fame for that day._" His eyes softened. "_I am very grateful for his honesty. I assure you that if he can keep his word, the fighters that were there that day will find it in their hearts to forgive him. I know I have._"

Chichi felt pride swell in her chest. "Gohan…"

He squared his shoulders. "_As for what happened a few days ago, that fault lies solely on me. I was there to stop the mobsters from causing harm and ended up hurting people myself._" He shook his head. "_I am truly sorry for the damage I caused. My power was too much to control. In the days that followed, my friends and I have done all in our power to right the wrongs that I committed whilst in the grip of madness._"

He looked again at Hercule with a wry grin. "_I know that I don't compare to Mr. Satan in power,_" Hercule laughed sheepishly at the inside joke, "_but I wish to continue to protect the city and the world with my… techniques._" He looked back at the crowd and smiled warmly. Many of the lady reporters sighed. "_I want you to know that I am truly sorry for the pain I caused the good people of the city. I understand if you never want me in your city again and I'll abide by any choice you make, but this is my home too. I will die fighting to protect it._" He took a few steps back and bowed courteously. "_Thank you._"

And then he vanished.

Everyone was caught by surprise. They'd never seen someone just vanish like that before! No smoke or fancy light trick or anything! Reporters were waving their arms about. Cops were darting hither and thither, trying to find out where he went. Even Videl was shouting something, but couldn't be heard over the general ruckus.

Hercule tried to restore order. "_EVERYONE CALM DOWN! I have more news to announce! I plan to host a new tournament-I SAID QUIET DOWN!_"

Chichi switched off the TV just as Gohan popped back into existence in their little home. She turned to address him. "Well! You caused quite a stir young man."

Goku watched his son power down with a curious look. "What was all that about?"

"Oh." Gohan shrugged with a carefree smile. "Hercule was apologizing for calling all our friends liars and fakes. I went to go talk to him about it."

"Oh neat." Goku smiled it off. "What say we get started on supper then, huh? Your mom could probably use the help."

"Yeah!" Goten piped up. "We caught some BIIIIIIIIG fishes!"

Gohan chuckled. Somehow he knew that his father wouldn't be too affected by it. He wondered how his friends were reacting to the live newsfeed. No doubt Vegeta would have something to say about that later. He was about to follow his brother and father into the kitchen when his mother stopped him. She turned him around and looked him in the eye with a proud smile.

"Gohan, I'm very proud of you for talking to that man today. You handled yourself very well."

Gohan smiled back. "Thanks mom." It hadn't been difficult. _Though_, he looked away from his mom,_ seeing Videl there was a little tough._ She was there, staring at him like he'd grown another head. Her eyes were so blue. He'd forgotten how pretty they were._ Kami, I think she still hates me. She didn't even say a word._ Just being around her made his heart flutter, though he was still able to put that aside and talk to Hercule like he wanted to.

He strolled into the kitchen and banished such thoughts from his mind. School was still a few days off. Until then, he was better off not worrying about Videl. After all, there was no escaping the inevitable confrontation. He'd see her later.

Little did he realize how his appearance affected the poor girl.

* * *

"Was that really him!?"

Videl nodded, her voice coming out as a sigh. "Yeah. It was him."

"EEEEEEEEE! Oh my gosh! What did he say?! How did he look?! Was he okay?!"

Videl jerked the phone away from her head. "Calm down Erasa! I'd prefer my eardrums to stay intact!"

"Sorry Videl. I'm just SO excited! Tell me, did you two meet up afterwards to talk about things?"

Videl huffed. "No. He just vanished. I didn't even have a chance to ask him how he was." She gripped the bedspread beneath her angrily. "He just had the nerve to show up without warning at a freaking press conference! Do you know how bad of a ruckus he caused!? We spent the rest of the day trying to sort out the paparazzi AND the police!" She flopped back down, exhausted. It was late and she really just needed to unload on a friend. "I never want to see another reporter for the rest of my life."

"I don't blame ya." There was a pause. "So what did he talk to you about? The sound kept cutting out while you guys were talking on stage."

"Oh. Well…" Videl hesitated. She didn't really want to divulge the entire conversation, but she really did want to talk it over with her bestie. "He talked to dad about the Cell games. Told him he'd forgiven him a long time ago. Then he assured him that he wasn't out for revenge or any crap like that." Also that he was okay that her dad took the credit for beating Cell, but Erasa didn't need to know that. "Dad was just really happy to meet him." The boy who saved the world.

"No hard feelings huh? Sounds like something Gohan would say." Erasa said. "He wasn't all crazy or anything?"

"No. He assured Dad that he was okay. You heard him, he apologized for the whole thing. He was fine." Videl got quiet. "Erasa… He didn't talk to me."

"Oh… but that doesn't mean he-"

"He ignored me. Erasa, he barely even looked at me." Videl threw an arm over her eyes. "He hates me for what I did."

"No he doesn't." Erasa comforted her friend. "If he hated you, he wouldn't have accepted your apology."

"Erasa, Dad was the one apologizing. Not me." She sighed. "I didn't get a word in edgewise. Besides, I couldn't just go talk to him. I mean…" She trailed off.

When he first appeared, she was surprised to see him. She was very happy to see him and even happier to see him shirtless, but after the initial shock, all the questions and worries and doubts fought their way to the forefront of her mind once more. Part of her badly wanted to throw herself over and hug the ever living daylights out of him. To ask him what in Kami's name was going on. To order him to explain himself. To ask for his friendship back even though she had so callously thrown it away beforehand. To beg his forgiveness.

The other part of her, however, got to thinking about what she'd done to him. The idea of talking to him after all that she'd done was enough to send her spiraling back into guilt. It froze her legs, averted her eyes, and smothered her voice. She felt the despair and anger at herself war with the happiness of seeing him.

He was alright and Videl didn't have the guts to talk to him.

She exhaled, feeling tears build up behind her eyes. "I am such a coward."

"No you're not!" Erasa huffed. "You just caught him at a bad time."

"Yeah right."

"No, I mean it! If he hadn't been wrapped up in talking to your dad and the cameras, I'm sure he would've swept you off your feet and flew away into the sunset to ravish you!"

Videl groaned, tears forgotten. "Erasaaaah!"

Erasa spoke in a mock manly voice. "Oh Videl! Being apart from you was pure anguish! Let me kiss you into oblivion!" Videl groaned again and Erasa giggled. "Just kidding! But seriously, you should totally go talk to him."

"Are you kidding me?" Videl moved her arm to stare at the ceiling. "I'm telling you he _hates_ me!"

"And I'm telling you he doesn't." Erasa huffed. "C'mon Videl. This is Gohan we're talking about here. Just talk to him and you'll see he doesn't hate you."

"How do you know?"

"Call it best friend intuition."

Videl shook her head, smiling slightly at her irrepressible best friend. "You're hopeless." Erasa giggled as Videl went on. "I just wish there was a way I could apologize without having to talk to him."

"Well, you could always do what guys do when they want to apologize."

Videl frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know. Give him gifts. Flowers, chocolates, cards… all that stuff. Guys think that kind of stuff smooths things over with their girlfriends."

"C'mon Erasa. Gohan's not that kind of guy. It'll never work."

"It might!" Erasa paused. "Unless you're too old fashioned to do that for a boy."

Videl bristled. "I am not old fashioned! The idea just stinks!"

"You got a better one?"

"No…"

***Elsewhere***

Gohan and Goku relaxed on the roof of their small domed cottage in the woods. They gazed up at the clear night sky. There was no moon, so all the stars could be seen twinkling merrily with light of their own.

The two of them lying out under the stars was starting to be a habit. A good habit, but a habit all the same. They'd lie there and talk about whatever came to mind. Sometimes they'd just stay silent, enjoying the cool night air and the billions of stars above them. It was good to spend time like that.

"Hey Dad," Gohan broke the silence as they stared up at the expanse of space, "apart from mom, do you have any experience with girls?"

"Not really." Goku said. "I mean, Bulma's a girl I think."

"Pfffff…" Gohan chuckled. "How could you not know?" He calmed and asked, "What do you do if you made one really angry at you?"

Goku thought for a minute. "Run."

Gohan laughed again. "Tried that. Didn't work."

His father smiled. "This about that Videl you talked about before?"

"Yeah." Gohan sobered and sat up. "We… she's not happy with me. I think she might actually hate me." He looked over at his father. "I didn't tell her the truth about who I was and she got really angry. Then, when I finally told her, she didn't believe me and got even angrier." Gohan smiled ruefully. "Now I know who I am and want to make it right with her. How do I do that?"

Goku looked over at his son. "You should talk to her."

Gohan huffed. "What if she won't talk to me?"

"Then respect her silence." Goku shrugged. "Give her some time."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Goku looked back up at the stars. "Your mom gets really angry with me sometimes. We work it out, but only after she's had some time to cool off. That's normal for any relationship I think." He chuckled. "Then again, the way Vegeta and Bulma go at it makes me wonder. But whatever works for them." He glanced back at his son and smiled softly. "Videl probably needs some time to sort things out. Make your intentions clear from the beginning and make sure that you're there when she's ready to talk." He shrugged. "Till then give her the space she needs."

Gohan nodded. There was sense in that. He didn't completely believe Goku when it came to girls, but he was his father. Who else could he go to for advice if not him?

He leaned back against the roof with a sigh. Even if Videl really would talk to him, what would he say? Would they just go back to the way they'd been before? Could he even do that?

One thing was certain. School was not going to be fun come Monday.

* * *

**A/N: **A-what what? Another chapter?! I thought this was the end! WHAT IN BLUE BLAZES IS THE AUTHOR THINKING?!

I'm thinking that ending this thing is harder than I thought. .

READ THE NEXT CHAPTER. This one comes in two parts.  
D-D-D-DOUBLE UPDATE.


	32. Well Laid Plans

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't sue me. I swear I own literally nothing. I rent, I borrow, I write fandom.

**A/N:** Get ready for some tropes. And some terrible clichés. Aaaand some roast beefcake.

Ch. 32: Well Laid Plans

* * *

"GOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The dark eyed teen grunted as a heavy squirmy something landed on his back. He shifted under the blankets and peeked over at his alarm clock. He didn't have to get up for another five minutes. He groaned. "Aww man…"

"Wake up big brother!" Goten said happily from his place on his brother's back. "Mom's making breakfast!

"Go 'way Goten…" Gohan grumbled sleepily, "I need… five more minutes."

"But that'll take too long!" Goten tried pulling the covers off the body beneath him. "And I'm _bored_!"

"You're always bored." Gohan muttered grouchily. He gripped the blankets tighter and tried to twist away from his brother's hands. He'd been up late again last night, spending time with his father. Sure it meant that he'd be short on sleep, but that time spent with his father meant the most to him.

"C'mon Gohan! It's time to get up!" Goten bounced on his brother's spine. "Get up get up get up get…"

The covers burst from the bed, knocking Goten off balance. The little boy teetered on the edge of the bed, completely unprepared for the two hands that caught his sides in relentless tickles.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Goten shrieked, jumping away from his big brother. He zipped to the door and turned around, hiding just behind the doorframe. "No Gohan! Mercy!" He giggled.

Gohan smirked. He slowly advanced on Goten, wiggling his fingers menacingly. "No mercy for noisy little alarm clocks!"

Goten squealed and ran away.

The tall demi-saiyan waited a second, listening to Goten's rapid footsteps until he was sure he'd gone downstairs. Then he turned and flopped back into the now messy bed. He heaved a sigh of relief. _Finally._

Then his alarm clock went off.

"Ugh." He groaned in irritation. "You've got to be kidding me." Why did he even set his alarm? It's not like he was really doing anything today anyway. He lifted a hand and hit the off button, being careful not to break the stupid thing. Goodness knows he wanted to, but his mother's warnings made him think twice about wrecking another alarm clock.

Slowly, with much grumbling, Gohan lifted himself from the bed and shuffled to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he went back to his room and dressed himself in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. He stretched leisurely and smiled. What were they going to do today? Another picnic perhaps? Fishing? Hiking? Flying around the world again? It would be nice to go visit Krillin and Eighteen. Have a day at the beach with Roshi and Turtle. He grinned broadly. Maybe they could even convince Piccolo to join them.

Today was going to be another perfect day.

He left his room and trotted down the stairs, opting to jump the last few spontaneously. His bare feet slapped the floor as he landed, bringing another smile to his face. He missed running around barefoot. He hadn't done that since he was a kid. Humming in good humor, he strode into the kitchen where he could smell the mountain of pancakes his mother was making.

Chichi turned from the stove and caught Gohan's eye. "Well someone's in a good mood." She smiled. "Good morning Gohan."

"Morning Mom." He grinned at Goku who was sitting next to his little brother at the table, hungrily eyeing the pancakes. "Morning Dad."

Goku tore his eyes away from the food and smiled. "Good morning." No one said another word as Chichi finished the last pancake and brought the pile over to the table. She seated herself and without further ado, the feasting began.

About halfway through, Gohan glanced up at his family. "So what are we going to do today?"

Chichi looked up from her own modest plate of pancakes. "What are you talking about Gohan?"

"Well yesterday we went flying around the world." Gohan waved his fork around as he spoke. "That was really fun, but I thought it might be nice to go visit Krillin and Eighteen today. You know, go swimming in the ocean, relax on the beach, visit with master Roshi and Turtle. Maybe we could even convince Piccolo to come along."

Chichi frowned slightly. "That sounds very nice, but you're forgetting one very important thing."

Gohan tilted his head, stuffing another bite of pancake in his mouth. "What's that?"

"You're going back to school today."

Gohan choked. Goku reached over and thumped his son on the back, dislodging the piece of pancake. Gasping, Gohan looked at his mom with wide eyes.

"School?!"

"Don't pretend like you didn't know this was coming." Chichi resumed eating like her eldest son didn't just choke on a pancake. "It's Monday. You haven't been to school for nearly a week. It's time you resumed your studies."

Goten, who'd been ignoring everyone in favor of pancakes, finally clued in on the conversation. He slumped a little in his seat. "Aww… but Mom, I don't want Gohan to go back to school." He gave her the puppy dog eyes, though the effect was ruined by the syrup on his face. "Can't he stay home one more day? Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

Chichi shook her head and Goten pouted harder. "But… but…"

"Sorry Goten. Your mother is right. We knew this day was coming." Goku chuckled and ruffled his youngest son's hair. "We'll see him when he comes home after school."

Gohan groaned inwardly. He'd really lost track of the days. It was Monday and that meant going back to school. Now he was going to have to sit through classes that were as boring as all get out. Good thing he was through being hormonally charged, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have a tough time sitting still. Memories flooded his mind. His classmates were going to be there. His friends too.

And Videl.

* * *

Videl stared at the store in front of her. _Just gotta go in, buy a card and gift, and get out. _She put one foot in front of the other. _Go in, buy it, and get out. _Slowly, she entered the gift shop. Immediately she was hit by the obnoxious smells from all the candles right at the entrance.

She sneezed.

"HELLO! Welcome to HALMRRKS! How can I help you?" The overly enthusiastic employee nearly startled her into an offensive stance.

She gulped back the nasty retort. "I'm looking for…"

"A gift for your boyfriend?"

"NO!" She coughed loudly to cover up her yell. "No. I'm looking for…"

"A present for your ailing grandmother?"

"No I-"

"A card for your best friend's baby shower?"

"No it's-"

"Invitations for your wedding?"

"Wha- NO!" Videl turned from the associate and stomped off into the store. "I don't need help! THANK YOU!"

It took her a minute, but she found the greeting cards. The teen crime fighter stopped dead in front of them and stared. Her eyes darted from one gaudy card to the next. Gohan wouldn't appreciate any of these! She spent a good ten minutes staring at an entire aisle covered in glittery hearts and cutesy animals. They mocked her. Growling in the back of her throat, she darted to the chocolates section and snagged a few boxes. If you consider a few boxes an entire shelf of chocolates.

Soon she was back in front of the cards. She stared at them balefully. Wordlessly she spun about and headed to the flowers. She pulled out a number of bouquets and stacked them next to her chocolates.

She returned to the card aisle. Still they mocked her. She glanced at her watch.

Ten minutes till school started.

_Crap! _Panic set in. If she didn't hurry she wouldn't have any time to set this crap up! Looking back at the rows and rows of cards, she zeroed in on the ones that looked the least likely to spew glitter everywhere. Without thinking, she grabbed a large assortment of them. She gathered up all her other purchases and dashed to the checkout.

_This had better work._

* * *

Erasa got off her bus and walked toward Orange Star High. As she walked, the excited bounce in her step became more and more noticeable.

Was Gohan coming back to school today?

The entire world was throwing a fit about the Gold Fighter and Saiyaman. Practically everybody at school was gossiping about it. Even the teachers! It worried her to no end. It was bad enough that everyone was blaming Saiyaman, but if Gohan knew all the terrible things that were being said about him, would he even want to come back to school? Would Erasa ever see her friend again?

Well _of course_ she would! Gohan would never miss more than a few days of school!

Erasa smiled cheerfully. It would be good to see him again. It would be even better to see him interact with Videl. She giggled to herself. They were so in love with each other that it was painfully adorable! She totally needed a plan to make them fall for each other in broad daylight.

The busty blonde drew closer to the school and tried not to look too eager when a small group off to the right caught her attention. It was a group of girls, all students from school, talking to a rather tall handsome man. He said something and they all giggled, shooting him admiring looks. Curious, Erasa came closer.

"You look so strong. Do you work out?"

"Yeah like, how much can you bench press?"

_Must be a new guy_. Erasa took a look at him and smiled appreciatively. He was very attractive. Her eyes traveled up and down his rather simply clad form. _Scratch that, he is totally hot!_ His muscles were obvious beneath his white t-shirt, from his well formed arms to his muscular chest. His jeans sat low on his trim waist, showing off his narrow hips and muscular thighs. No wonder this guy had a gaggle of girls around him. He was hunkalicious!

Erasa shook her head and kept walking. No matter how hot the new guy was, and he was very hot, ogling him was not going make Gohan magically reappear. She had to keep her focus. _Find Gohan, talk to Gohan, find Videl, talk to Videl, get them together in a closet, lock the door…_

"I uh… I don't lift weights."

At the sound of his voice, Erasa froze. Eyes wide, she turned to look back at the group. Her gaze snapped to the guy's face and she gasped.

_No way._

The girls giggled. One of them slid closer to him and boldly put her hands around his bicep. "You must do something. I mean these arms are just to die for!"

The man, who was actually a teenager, pulled away from the girl. He brought a hand up to rub the back on his neck in a familiar gesture. Midnight black hair was tousled slightly by the motion except for the lone piece that hung down in front on his eyes.

"Could you please not do that?"

_No way! _Erasa's jaw dropped. Could it actually be him? Gohan wasn't that obviously hot!

"Why not?" Said girl crooned, getting obnoxiously close to him again. "I just want to get to know you better."

"Uh…" He backed away slightly. "We can get to know each other fine without touching."

"Gohan?" Her voice was quiet when she called his name. She wondered if he heard her.

Deep black eyes turned in her direction. A smile, shy and cautious crossed the familiar face, causing some of the girls to sigh. The hand that was uncomfortably rubbing the back of his neck waved in greeting.

"Hey Erasa."

Her doubts vanished and she ran headlong at him. "GOHAN!" She shouted, throwing herself into a flying tackle. "You're back!"

Gohan grinned and caught her before she knocked him over. He laughed aloud and swung her around, clearing a circle around him. "It's good to see you too!"

Erasa was laughing and close to crying with relief. "You're back and okay and not in a coma!"

"Aww Erasa. Of course I'm okay." He set her down gently and smiled at her. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Erasa laughed and wiped away fresh tears from her eyes. "Because you were going all psycho on us and then you disappeared for like a week and we were so worried!" She stuck a very happy finger in his face. "You could've at least sent us a text or phone call or something!"

"Oh, sorry." Gohan winced apologetically. "I thought that you guys might not want to talk to me after all that."

"Not want to…" Erasa slapped him on the arm. "Of course we want to talk to you! You've got to tell us what all that was about. We were _so_ worried about you!"

"I'm sorry I made you worry." He gave her a bright smile. "And I'm glad you're happy to see me."

Erasa grinned. He really wasn't psycho anymore. There was no restrained anger in his voice, no tension filling the air. He really was fine. Things were going to be okay.

She gasped. "Ohmygosh! We have to go tell Sharp-" Suddenly a hand landed heavily on her shoulder, interrupting her. She was pulled roughly away from Gohan.

"Leave him alone Erasa! You've already got a boyfriend!"

The bubbly blonde was shocked. Were they crazy? She didn't like Gohan like that! Didn't these girls recognize him? She was stunned to hear the other girls agree loudly.

"Yeah! Leave the hotness alone!"

"We saw him first, that means we have first dibs!"

"He's obviously new to this school, so lay off!"

Erasa glanced over at Gohan. He was just as stunned as she was. This had never happened to him before. Erasa summoned her sassiness and adopted her 'best friend' pose. She addressed the gaggle of girls loudly with all the strength of her petite form.

"No, YOU guys lay off! He's no new student! You guys already know him! Gohan Son! Third period calculus!" She glared the girls down as the shock of recognition swept over them. "You didn't hit on him then, so don't hit on him now! Yeah I have a boyfriend! I don't like Gohan like that even though he has extreme levels of hotness!" Gohan's face burned behind her, but she didn't notice. "He's my friend and I haven't seen him since that craziness last week! I thought he was in real trouble! Yes I'm going to be friendly with him and if you don't like it you can just suck it through a straw!" She z-snapped in the air and turned on her heel.

She stormed through the front doors, ignoring all the gossip that sprung up around them like leaks in a boat. Gohan followed behind her, embarrassed and somewhat amused at her little tirade. Erasa stopped when they were far enough away and turned to face Gohan.

"They just want you for your body! What a bunch of shallow… dirty rotten… _people_!" She ranted. Then she paused. Her face lit up in a blush and she put her hands to her burning cheeks. "Oh. My. Kami! I can't believe I just did that! That was like, so totally embarrassing!"

Gohan laughed aloud. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"I just can't believe they didn't recognize you!" She took a second look at her friend. "Well I guess I can't like, totally blame them. I almost didn't recognize you either." She grinned. She just _knew_ he was totally ripped! And if the Gold Fighter was any indication, there was totally more hidden under that shirt. "Since when do you dress like this?"

Gohan blushed. "Uh… since today?" His hand rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He didn't wear his normal school clothes. Why you may ask? In a way, those baggy clothes represented who Gohan used to be. He didn't want to wear them. He didn't want to fall back into who people thought he was. And why should he? He was different from before. He knew who he was. Everyone else would just have to accept that.

He wasn't going to hide it anymore.

_Just wait till Videl sees you. Oooh she's gonna flip!_ Erasa thought to herself. On the inside she was filling up with warm fuzzy feelings about how they would instantly fall in love again once they saw each other. Then there'd be kisses and hugs and wedding bells and the happily ever after. She smiled up at the tall slightly blushing teen. "Seriously, how are you?"

"Much better." He returned the smile. "Actually I feel better than I have in a long time!" He stretched up high, revealing a line of tanned stomach taut with muscle. Many much muscle. Erasa flushed red and giggled some more, but he didn't seem to notice. Instead he relaxed and looked down the hall. "Have you seen Sharpner yet?"

"Not yet." She said. "But I bet he's at his locker."

Together, the two walked down the hallway. Gohan tried to ignore the whispers of his classmates. Several people stopped to stare and he winced at the attention. Erasa couldn't stop giggling. His discomfort was too cute!

"This is too weird." He muttered, flinching as a group actually pointed and stared. "It's like they've never seen me before."

"Not like this they haven't." She said. "You like, might as well get used to the stares. You're too hot to ignore."

"Erasa." Gohan huffed. "I'm pretty sure I'm not that hot. I look the same as I always do."

"Yeah right." Erasa she poked him in the side. "Your secret hotness isn't such a secret anymore."

He looked askance at her, but turned his attention to the lockers. Erasa followed his gaze and could see Sharpner grabbing his textbooks. The burly blonde slammed his locker shut and walked towards them, obviously moody.

Gohan cleared his throat and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey Sharpner."

Sharpner grunted. "Hey Gohan." He kept walking in that moody way of his until he turned into the classroom.

Gohan looked after him, perplexed. He turned to Erasa with one eyebrow raised. She shrugged. "Give him a minute."

They waited. A minute later, they heard a rapid thumping sound and the door to the classroom slammed open. Sharpner skidded to a stop outside the classroom, eyes wide and breathing hard. He pointed directly at them.

"GOHAN!" He shouted.

Erasa couldn't contain herself any longer. Peals of laughter rang out as Sharpner dashed towards them. His face was red with embarrassment.

"Shut UP Erasa!" He protested, coming to a stop next to the pair. "I bet YOU didn't realize it was him either!"

"Yeah, but your reaction was priceless!" Erasa laughed, ignoring her boyfriend's angry glare.

Sharpner turned to Gohan and looked him up and down. He whistled. "Looks like you finally took my advice."

"What?" Gohan frowned. "No! I just didn't want to wear my normal stuff today." He huffed and crossed his arms self consciously over his chest. "Why is everyone making such a big deal out of it?"

"It IS a big deal! You're back!" Sharpner grinned and slapped Gohan on the back. "AND you don't look like a nerd anymore!"

"But I'm still me." Gohan looked at his friend cheekily. "I can still write equations that would make your head spin."

"Brains, you could do that in your sleep." Sharpner pulled Gohan in for a bro-hug. "I swear I'm going to go grey if you ever go missing again."

Gohan laughed and hugged him back. "What are you, my mom?"

That started Erasa back into full blown laughter. "Hahahahaha! Momma Sharpie!"

Gohan started laughing too. The mental imagery with that one was too much. Sharpner, grey hair and apron, chasing people with a floury rolling pin… He nearly split his sides.

The burly blonde felt the blood rush to his face, but he started laughing alongside his friends. He couldn't help it. The laughter was infectious. More importantly, he was relieved. Gohan was okay. There was no need to worry anymore.

The trio finally got a hold of themselves. Sharpner wiped tears from his eyes. "You guys are nuts!"

Erasa laughed again. "The best type of nuts!"

"I haven't laughed so hard in forever!" Sharpner grinned at his friend. "Welcome back! You haven't missed much. Seen Videl yet?"

Gohan sobered. The mood around him descended as he answered. "No. Not yet."

"Oh." Sharpner cleared his throat, suddenly uneasy. "Uh… You guys alright?"

He sighed. "Well, things weren't in the best of shape when we saw each other last." He gave them a weak smile. "I'm just hoping we can be in the same class together without fighting."

"Oh Gohan, you don't mean that." Erasa said worriedly. "Sure things were rough, but…"

"No, it's true." Gohan ran a hand through his dark hair, inadvertently flexing his muscles and causing a nearby group of girls to swoon. "Before I left, she said she was through with me. You remember that. She doesn't believe me and I'm positive she still hates me."

"But she doesn't hate you!" Erasa protested. "She believes you! Heck, she saw you that day when…" She hesitated. She didn't really want to remind him that he did some terrible things.

"When you went crazy at the mall." Sharpner supplied cautiously. "She hasn't said much about it, but she knows that you're the gold fighter."

Gohan frowned. "She was there?" He looked away from his friends, scowling at the lockers. "I didn't know that." He mumbled. "I don't remember anything about that day."

"You… you don't remember?" Concern practically oozed from Erasa's voice. "Gohan, what happened to you?"

He sighed again. "I'll tell you what I know, but later." He smiled at them and a feeling of comfort washed over them. It was strange, but it felt like everything would be alright.

Sharpner sighed. "You'd better. I don't think I can take much more drama."

* * *

Videl slammed her locker closed. She looked up and down the hallway nervously before moving to the locker next to hers. Carefully, she picked the lock and opened the door. It was pretty clean inside. Not unusual. This was Son Gohan's locker after all. He is kind of a neat freak.

Swiftly, she gathered up the gifts she'd brought to school that day and shoved them in the small space. It took some finagling, but she managed to shut the locker door without it all tumbling down on her. She did a small fist pump of satisfaction and grabbed her books. She headed to the first class of the day, hoping that the gifts would work.

She entered the classroom and started up the stairs to her customary seat. She immediately heard whispers and gossip surround her. Curious, she looked up from the steps and almost tripped.

The person who had frustrated her, mystified her, and captured her heart like no other sat chatting with her friends as if nothing had happened in the past week.

_Gohan._

The teen wasn't looking at her as he was more focused on the conversation. Videl froze, drinking him in. His familiar black hair spiked up except for that one lone piece that hung down over his eyes. His smile was bright and cheery. His eyes…

He looked over and those dark orbs caught hers. For a split second an intense fire sparked between them, igniting a heat in Videl that was as foreign to her as the reaches of space. Those eyes were so deep. Their gaze so entrancing…

The moment was lost as she looked away quickly, absolutely mortified and ashamed of herself. A blush burned her face to near ashes. _Does he still hate me? Will he even talk to me? Oh Kami what am I supposed to do now? _She slowly resumed walking to her seat, eyes glued to the floor. _He got here first! That means he won't be to his locker until after class! Good Kami he's going to sit two seats away from me and I can't even look him in the eye!_

Videl took her seat beside Sharpner and soon class began. She felt a strange mix of relief and annoyance as the students quieted at the teacher's command. Soon, the teacher was droning on as usual and the air was filled with the soft whispers of high school students who weren't paying attention.

Slowly, as to not arouse any suspicion, Videl glanced over at Gohan. He was studiously writing notes like he always was, but the mere sight of him made her insides turned to mush. He paused in his scribbles and rubbed the back of his neck in his nervous habit. Her breath caught in her throat and she averted her eyes quickly, a blush creeping up her neck.

This continued for the entire class period.

Before the bell rang to signal the class change, the teacher called Gohan down to give him the material he'd missed. Videl watched him walk down the steps to the front, heart sinking in her chest. Not a word passed between them. He really must hate her.

"Videl!"

Videl felt an elbow in her ribs and snapped out of her thoughts. She turned to look at Erasa irritably.

"What?"

"Are you just gonna steal glances at him all day or what?" Erasa asked.

"Erasa!" Videl hushed her. "He'll hear you!"

"Well _duh_!" Erasa rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I waited till he left?"

Videl facepalmed. "Erasa…."

"Just go talk to him!"

"I can't!" Videl retorted. "I'm already into plan A!"

"Plan A?" Erasa frowned. "You mean all the presents? That's fine, but he said he'd tell us what happened. _And_ he was worried that you were still pissed at him! Like, just go talk to the guy!"

"What?! How could I be… I mean, why would he…" Videl stuttered. She looked away shamefacedly. "I just… I can't talk to him. I need to apologize to him first. I'll talk to him after I know where we are."

"Videl…" Erasa sighed. "Well alright, but don't wait too long."

"Why would it matter?"

"Are you serious? You've been staring at him all day and you haven't even noticed? He's totally hot!"

"Erasa!" Videl hissed spinning to face her. That angered her for some reason. "You have a boyfriend!"

"Yeah, but I ain't blind!" The busty blonde gestured down at the teen that just started back in their direction. "Just _look _at him Videl! Every girl in school is after him now! I mean, when did Gohan ever dress like that?"

Videl looked back down at Gohan. A group of students, Videl realized with a pang of annoyance that it was a group of girls, had caught Gohan in a conversation just as he started up the steps. She noticed that he was wearing a slightly formfitting white T-shirt and jeans. It didn't hide much of his muscular form. It was certainly better than his spandex shirt as Saiyaman, but apart from that…

She swallowed her own mouthful of drool. Erasa wasn't kidding. Gohan was obviously hot. Not just to her anymore. It was out in the open. And, judging by the way the girls were flirting with him, everyone in the school had noticed. Even the way he carried himself said 'sexy'.

_Wait a second. _The teen crime fighter narrowed her eyes. _That's not normal_. Usually he'd be trying to hide his body. Granted, he wasn't flaunting it, but neither was it hidden from view. Something about Gohan had changed. He stood tall and confident. He wasn't aggressive or angry, nor was he shy and restrained. Gone was his slouch and timidity. True, it was obvious that he didn't appreciate the flirting and felt uncomfortable with it, but he didn't run from the conversation like he normally would. It wasn't a bad change, Videl felt very, very attracted to him at the moment, but it didn't make sense. Videl bit her thumbnail in consternation. _What happened to you Gohan?_

* * *

The bell rang, startling countless young scholars from their boredom. People gathered their things and left quickly for their next class. Everyone was eager to be rid of the Monday. They wanted to get the school day over with as fast as they could. In Gohan's class, he watched with tightness in his chest as Videl practically ran from the classroom. Erasa gave him an apologetic look and hurried after her. He sighed and gathered his belongings.

"So whatcha doin' after school today?"

He looked up. Sharpner stood before him looking slightly concerned. _He's trying to cheer me up. _Gohan felt the tightness ease and smiled a little bit. _He's a good friend._

"Oh, not much." Gohan said. "Probably just head home and do all the homework I've missed." He slung his bag over one shoulder. "Why? You want to do something later?"

"Yeah. Since we hadn't gotten the chance to hang out last week and all that." Sharpner moseyed his way down the stairs to the front of the classroom. "Figured we could go catch a movie or something."

"Maybe later on. Mom doesn't like me giving last minute notice." Gohan chuckled uneasily.

"I guess I can understand that." He turned around and waited for Gohan. "Hey, did you know they're making a movie about you?"

"What? About me?" Gohan followed him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." The two teens headed to their lockers. "They've turned the Gold Fighter into this anti-hero type. Got him in an action movie with Mr. Satan."

"It's only been a few days since the press conference." Gohan whistled. "Never knew I was that popular. Those people work _fast_." He reached up and quickly undid the lock on his locker.

"You'd be surprised man." Sharpner stuffed his books in his locker. "The Gold Fighter's even got a fanclub here at school."

"Eeep!"

*BA-CLUMPCRASHSHSHSHH*

At the sound of a loud crash, Sharpner turned to see Gohan flat on the floor, covered with various chocolates, flowers, and cards. His legs stuck out from beneath the pile, twitching slightly.

Sharpner laughed. "Speaking of which, I'd say Gohan Son's got a fanclub of his own."

"A fanclub?!" Came the muffled cry of dismay. Gohan pulled himself from the pile. "I don't want a fanclub!" He dusted flower petals from his hair. "I mean, it's awfully nice of them, but they could be putting their time to better use! I'm not worth the trouble!"

"You would say that wouldn't you?" He sighed. "I swear you're the anti-high schooler. Most other guys would kill for a fanclub."

"I'm not most other guys."

"There's the understatement of the year." Sharpner picked up a card and read it aloud. "Hope your day is as sunny as your smile."

"Please don't read them aloud." Gohan groaned, blushing. He scooped up the bouquets of flowers and set them to the side neatly. "This is embarrassing enough as it is."

The burly blonde picked up a few more. "Huh… they're not all that mushy. I thought fangirls were supposed to be all lovey-dovey and crap." He read the cards aloud. "Keep your chin up cowboy."

"That's nice, but my chin is as up as it's going to get." Gohan gathered the chocolates and stacked them neatly next to the flowers. "And I'm not a cowboy."

"Feel better soon?"

"Not sick."

"Hang in there baby?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm sorry I missed your 5th birthday?"

"I'm way older now, sorry you missed it."

Sharpner laughed suddenly. "Congratulations on your baby boy?"

"Not pregnant!" Gohan shouted, blushing.

"None of these cards make any sense." Sharpner shuffled through the thirty some cards. "It's like someone picked one from every section at halmrrks. None of them are even signed." He set the cards down by the flowers and chocolates. "You've got some weird fans."

"No kidding." Gohan looked at the impressive stack and sighed. "What am I going to do with all this?"

"Uh… take it home? Give it to your mom?" Sharpner shrugged. "What else are you gonna do with chocolates, flowers, and cards?" He paused. "Holy crap. It's like someone is trying to apologize to their girlfriend."

Gohan scratched his head in puzzlement. "Huh. Maybe I don't really have a fanclub. Maybe someone just got the wrong locker." Gohan reached into his bag and pulled out a pad of sticky notes and a pen. "I'll just leave this here with a note. Maybe the owner will show up to collect it."

Sharpner shrugged. "Whatever man. Still could be a bunch of crazy fangirls."

Gohan wrote the note and they left for their next class.

As soon as they were out of sight, Videl came around the corner. She walked to the pile of gifts and stared at the note.

_Dear gift giver,  
I think you may have gotten the wrong locker.  
This is Gohan Son's locker.  
While I appreciate the sentiment, I'm pretty sure these weren't meant for me.  
Please give them to the proper individual with my regards.  
Thanks!  
Gohan Son_

Behind her, Erasa approached slowly. "It didn't work did it?"

"Of course it didn't work." Videl said, frustrated. She couldn't believe she forgot to sign any of the cards. "You heard what he said! He thought it was from his fanclub! He doesn't even _have _a fanclub!" She kicked the stack of presents angrily. "This was a stupid plan! I told you it wouldn't work!"

Erasa flinched. There was that famous temper. "So it didn't work. Now you have to go talk to him."

Videl shook her head. "Not yet." She turned and walked away, leaving the gifts behind. "I've got plan B."

"Plan B?" Erasa dashed after her. "Whaddaya mean you've got 'plan B'?"

* * *

The next period found Gohan staring at his desk with the most perplexed look on his face. There was a small pile of letters on top of his desk. There were five in total. Two of them were very plain looking. One had hearts pasted all over the place, one had very fancy script on it, and the last one looked like it had accidently run through the washing machine.

"Uh… excuse me?"

Gohan turned to see a pretty girl standing before him. He recognized her from his literature class. Cherry or something like that.

He smiled at her. "Yes?"

She shyly looked down at the floor, blushing. "I… uh…" She thrust a letter straight out at him. "Here!"

More surprised than ever, Gohan took the letter from her and watched as she hurried away. He looked at the letter in his hands and the ones on his desk. Slowly he stacked the letters in a neat stack on the corner of his desk. Luckily, Erasa and Sharpner were engaged in conversation and didn't really pay the interaction much mind. Videl, however, was glaring angrily in his direction again. He could feel her eyes burning through the back of his head.

As he waited for class to start, the same thing happened twice more. One right after the other! He didn't catch the dirty looks that the girls sent at each other as they left, but he stared at the letters, completely perplexed. Was he wearing something embarrassing that they had to tell him about in a note? Were these requests for a tutor? Was there a school wide prank going on today?

The poor boy had no idea.

More students filed in and soon, class began. All the while, the letters he'd received itched in his mind. What were they? Why give them to him? He glanced down at the pile neatly stacked on the corner of his desk. Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he pulled a note from the cluster.

_Do you like me? (circle one)  
Yes  
No  
Maybe_

Gohan blinked. _What?_

He carefully refolded the note and pulled another one from the pile. The contents were similar.

_Do you like me?  
Yes  
Totally  
Definitely_

_What!?_ Gohan quickly refolded the note and snagged another one.

_You are the hottest guy! Please go out with me Gohan-sama!_

_Wait… are these… Love letters?! _He pulled out the fourth note, the one that looked like it went through the wash. It was quite a bit longer than the others.

_My dearest Gohan, you make me cry tears of desire. I can bear being apart from your sexiness no longer. Please take me in your strong loving arms and-_

Gohan quit reading. "Nope." He muttered, quickly going through the other letters from the pile.

_I like you. A lot. I hate that you don't have a girlfriend yet. Wanna go out?_

_Oh Gohan, I have daydreams about your butt. Please go out with me!_

_Dear beloved Son, I wish to convey to you in most eloquent terms my desire to have you as my lover. Please be my partner in certain intimate 'activities'-_

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH._ Gohan screamed internally and pushed that last letter far away from him. His face was a most interesting shade of red. _Kami, they're ALL love letters! _Or at least most of them were. He didn't even want to touch the one covered with hearts. He left the opened notes in a messy pile on his desk, opting to bury his burning face in his arms.

"Hey Gohan!" A whisper from Sharpner caused Gohan to lift his head. "What's with all the notes?"

"I don't even know!" Gohan whispered hotly back. "I think they're love letters!"

"Love letters? You've gotta be kidding me!" Sharpner wasted no time in reaching over and snagging one from the pile. "It's only been a few hours!"

"No! Sharpner!" Gohan hissed, trying to keep his voice down. He scrambled for the note Sharpner had snatched. "Give it back!" Those notes were super embarrassing. He didn't want anyone else to see them.

"No way!" Sharpner played keep away with the dark eyed boy. "I want to see how you got so many so fast!"

Erasa looked up from her schoolwork. "Keep it down guys! The teacher will notice if you're too loud." She whispered. She leaned in, eyes glinting with mischief. "Besides, I don't think Gohan wants those love notes to be made public." She grabbed a note from his desk and grinned, reading it to herself.

Gohan stiffened, stifling a groan. "Erasa! Not you too!"

His burly blonde friend skimmed over the note. He read one part and tried to choke back a guffaw. "Oh my Kami. What kind of fans do you _have _man? _Oh Gohan, I want to kiss you until your face falls off._"

Erasa scrunched up her face as she read the note Gohan had thrust away from him. "Oh _eww_. _Intimate activities_? Couldn't they like, phrase that better?"

"Guuuuuuys, please stop it." Gohan buried his burning face back in his arms. "This is embarrassing enough as it is."

Sharpner replaced the note back on Gohan's desk. "Are you going to respond to any of these?"

"No way!"

"Gohan, you've got to. It's a man's responsibility." Erasa nodded seriously. It absolutely sucked to send a love note and receive neither a yes nor a no.

Gohan grumbled. "Fine. I'll respond to them." He pulled out a smart ballpoint pen and wrote a big angry NO on each note. He didn't even read the one covered with hearts. Just wrote a big NO on the front. He glowered at the notes for a moment before sighing. He scratched out a small explanation beneath each angry NO.

_Sorry, but I'm not looking for a relationship right now.  
I'm happy to be friends with you though, so please don't feel sad.  
No more letters please._

Erasa looked the words over and nodded. She knew Gohan was not over Videl. Good thing too. She still had high hopes for the two of them. "That's fair."

"Thanks." He refolded the notes and stacked them on his desk. "I'm not going to accept any more notes. I'll just tell them I'm not interested right now."

On the other side of Sharpner, Videl listened to the exchange in silence. Slowly, without changing her expression of disinterest, she crumpled the letter she'd been writing to explain herself to Gohan.

_Right._ Videl dug inside her backpack. _Plan C it is._

* * *

For the next few class periods, strange things kept happening to the demi-saiyan. Girls flirted with him, guys flirted with him, teachers paid him odd compliments, and strange, almost random happenings kept Gohan in a state of unease. In one class, a bowl nearly overflowing with ice cream was waiting on his desk. In another, four passes to the amusement park floated down from somewhere above to land in his hair. Worst of all was the fact that all this increased the amount of unwanted attention he was getting.

The relief Gohan felt when Videl's watch buzzed its alarm was almost palpable. The dark eyed teen cheered mentally. _A robbery? In a supermarket? _He was quick to ask permission to leave soon after Videl did. _Don't mind if I do!_ He practically skipped up to the rooftop, not even bothering to check if Videl was still there. Energetically he hit the button on the side of his watch and waited for the tell-tale tingle.

Imagine his surprise and embarrassment when he discovered the current state of his saiyasuit. It was in tatters. He stood there shirtless, realizing that most of his pants had been torn away. He was missing a boot and was pretty sure you could see his boxers.

After you imagine that, imagine how he felt when he realized Videl was staring at him from a few feet away.

"…"

Videl's mouth fell open and her face flushed. Gohan turned bright red and fumbled around trying to hit the button on his watch again.

"…"

Normal clothing reappeared and both teens ran away.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. Look at all those tropes. The crazy fanclub? That's a total Gohan trope. Well… it's more of a Trunks trope, but I digress.  
Poor Videl ain't gettin' no breaks. HA.

By the way…  
I LIED.  
IT'S A TRIPLE UPDATE.  
*confetti*

I am so sorry this is taking forever. I struggled so hard to not do this, but I didn't want it to hit you all at once. I have to split it up. There's a lot of stupid fluffy content I wanted to shove in.

What are you still doing here? Read the next bit!


	33. Making Up (ENDE)

**DISCLAIMER:** A-what-WHAT!?

Ch. 33: Making Up (ENDE)

* * *

Videl let her head hit the lunch table with a groan. Today was just not her day. NOTHING was working. He didn't accept any gifts, he wasn't taking letters, AND he wasn't talking to her. Granted she wasn't talking to him either, but still!

_Just go talk to him._

_I can't just go talk to him! What if he just ignores me?_

_Face it Videl, you're out of ideas. If he still hates you after this, then you've got nothing to lose._

She glanced towards the cafeteria doors, knowing that Gohan was on the rooftop, sharing lunch with Erasa and Sharpner. She could go up there now and talk to him. Right now.

Videl swallowed nervously. Slowly, she got to her feet and headed to the doors. She left the cafeteria and walked up the stairs to the door leading to the rooftop.

She stopped at the top of the stairs, hesitating. _I can do this._ She took a deep breath and was about to open the door when she heard voices on the other side. Curious, she pressed her ear to the door and listened.

* * *

"Okay Gohan. Spill it."

The dark eyed teen looked up from his mountain of food. It was lunchtime and he'd come to the rooftop to eat. Frankly, the idea of eating in the cafeteria intimidated him. He was the most recent center of attention at school. Everybody was suddenly talking to him and about him and it was super weird and he didn't really like it. Any escape was a welcome one.

He swallowed his mouthful and spoke. "Are you sure you want me to tell you right now? It's kind of a long story. Lunch break is only an hour long."

"We'll skip. The next period is free anyway." Sharpner shrugged. He sat down next to Gohan. "We got nuthin' but time."

Gohan nearly spit out his food. "Skip class?!"

His burly blonde friend reached over and snagged himself a sandwich from the massive pile. "C'mon man, it's not gonna be a problem is it?"

"Are you nuts? My mom would kill me!"

"Only if she found out. Right Erasa?"

Erasa plopped down beside her boyfriend. "Yeah! Live a little Gohan!"

"Sheesh. You two are bad influences." Gohan shook his head. "How about I give you the short version and we still make it in time for class?"

"Fine by me." Erasa said. "Just so long as we get the gist of it."

"Alright." Gohan picked up a fresh bowl of rice and resumed eating. It was kind of amazing how he could pack away so much food and speak at the same time. However, before he began, he paused. "Doesn't Videl want to hear this too?"

"Oh don't mention that girl right now." Erasa huffed, angrily tearing into a saran wrapped ham sandwich. "She can go wallow in her own stupid self pity forever for all I care!"

Sharpner leaned over. "They had a bit of a fight earlier." He muttered low enough for only Gohan to hear. "Don't worry though. They'll be over it by the end of the day." He moved away and rolled his eyes. "Girls."

"Oh. W-well, I guess I'll tell her later then." His face didn't betray the hurt and disappointment he felt inside. He really wanted to talk with her, but all she really did that day was shoot glances at him. Her face was all red and he was sure she was still very angry at him. There were times today when he wanted to start up a conversation, but his father's advice rang in the back of his mind. Give her space. Give her time. It hurt, but he felt it was a wise thing to do. He didn't want to make it any worse than it already was. After all, though not a word was spoken, he could feel her eyes burning a hole in the back of his head. It was kind of nerve-wracking. Better to let it be than to fan the flames.

Then again, Erasa said Videl knew that he was the Gold Fighter now. Maybe…

He paused, his senses picking up a familiar energy signature close by.

Gohan felt a rush of emotions. Irritation, guilt, longing, tenderness, and curiosity spun in the forefront of his mind for a moment. Videl was right outside the door, probably listening in. Why didn't she just come and join them? Did she really dislike him that much? He shook his head to clear it. Erasa and Sharpner were waiting to hear his story. He had to suck it up.

"It all starts with my dad. See, dad came to earth when he was just a baby and didn't have any parents. He was adopted by my namesake, Son Gohan."

"Hold up a sec." Sharpner interrupted him. Gohan was surprised. He hadn't even gone five sentences. "Did you say 'came to earth'? What… is he an alien or something?"

Gohan shrugged. "Pretty much. Yeah."

"That's… that crazy!" Sharpner flailed about briefly. "How can you be an alien?! You look completely human! Your dad looks completely human!"

"Well technically you guys look like saiyans without the tail." Gohan continued. "Mine was cut off when I was younger. You want to see the scar?"

"You used to have a TAIL?!"

"Yeah. Dad had one too. Turns out he was sent here as a baby to destroy the planet, but got a bump on the head and was raised here on earth as a human. He didn't know he was as alien until my uncle showed up. I was about 4 or something. My uncle actually kidnapped me when he arrived on earth. My father died the first time trying to get me back."

"The _first_ time?!"

"Yeah. He's died a few times. In any case I was re-kidnapped by my mentor. We found out that more saiyans were coming to earth and trained to fight them."

"Wait, _saiyan_?" Erasa's eyes got wide. "You mean… like those guys who came from space a few years back?! They said they were… So you mean you're really…"

"Yep." Gohan chuckled at their expressions. "I'm the world's first half alien."

***One exposition later***

"Lemme get this straight." Sharpner rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You're half alien, I mean half _saiyan,_ were born with incredible power, used to have a freaking tail, was kidnapped twice, forced to fight for your life, fought space napoleon/hitler, some garlic guy, the killer androids, Cell, AND that mess last week was just you going through space alien puberty?"

"In a nutshell."

"Holy crap!" Sharpner put a hand to his head. "Feels like I'm listening to an episode of stargate."

"Ahah… yeah. It does sound kind of insane." He looked down at the now vacant spot where his food used to be. He felt even more discouraged as Videl's energy signature raced back down into the school. "I don't blame you for not believing me."

"What? Naw man, I believe you." Sharpner grinned. "I just didn't think I'd ever meet an alien."

Gohan looked up hesitantly. "You really believe me?"

"Sure we do." Erasa smiled brightly. "Like, you've never lied to us before about anything like this. I mean, hiding your secret superhero-ness is one thing, but you've been telling us your background. You have no reason to lie."

Gohan leaned back against the barrier around the rooftop. He was somewhat surprised. Mostly though, he was relieved. "That's really good to hear! I was a little worried you think I made all this up."

"I can see why." Sharpner scratched his cheek absently. "Sounds more like a science fiction novel than a personal history." (_)

"Sharpner, you read?"

Sharpner shot Gohan an annoyed look. "Don't go telling people." He sighed. "The more I think about it, the more it makes sense in a weird, convoluted sort of way. I mean how else can you do the stuff that you do? "

"Are you sure you guys aren't… you know…" Gohan waved his hands in the air, "weirded out?"

Sharpner just looked at him. "Why would we be? You're our friend. That's all we really care about."

Erasa nodded. "Yeah. Even though it _is_ a little weird."

Gohan was amazed. He'd never expected this. Then again he'd never expected to have friends like Erasa and Sharpner. Filled with gratitude, he smiled that sunny Son smile. "Thanks guys."

Sharpner returned the smile. "No worries Gohan." Then he sighed despondently. "I only have one problem. I wanted you to teach me how to go blonde, but then you have to go and tell me it's genetic."

Erasa laughed. "Looks like you're gonna have to keep bleaching your hair Sharpie!"

* * *

Videl stared at herself in the mirror of the girl's bathroom. _Gohan's an alien?_ She was having a little trouble wrapping her brain around what she'd just heard. _He used to have a tail?_ She pictured him with a gently curling monkey tail and blushed. _That's crazy!_

But the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. How else could he be that strong? If he were only human, he wouldn't be able to do half those things! No human could transform into a golden haired super crime fighter. Sure Krillin and Yamucha are human and can fly and shoot those energy beam thingies, but that was only after training for years and years with some of the most revered masters alive! Even now they definitely do not have the kind of power Gohan has.

_Power._ Videl gripped the edge of the sink tightly as a new idea wormed its way into her brain. Gohan had been fighting since he was four. He'd battled and defeated monsters that she'd only dreamt about! Nightmares from worlds away, fighting his best alongside his father to protect the earth. He'd fought to save the world before she was even out of middle school. How could she ever compare to that?

Perhaps that mob boss was right. She was just a policeman wannabe. Who was she fooling with her little playacting? She wasn't even a blip in the grand scheme of things. She couldn't even defeat a gang of mobsters without getting herself eyeball deep into trouble. How could she compare to a guy her age that had already defeated some of humanities' greatest enemies?

Videl looked in the mirror and despaired. One of the most powerful people, one of the most kindhearted, bravest people she'd ever known, or ever heard about, was hurt at her hands. How could they ever be more than tentative friends after how she treated him? More importantly, how was she going to get Gohan to know how sorry she was?

She sighed despondently and left the bathroom. None of her schemes had worked. He still wasn't talking to her. All of her well laid plans failed to get him to open up. She was out of ideas.

_Somehow_ _I'm just going to have to talk to him._ She aimlessly wandered the halls, caught up in her own miseries. _But how?_

She had no answer.

Videl wandered aimlessly for a good while. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that when the bell rang, it startled her sharply. She hadn't realized she'd practically wasted the entire lunch break. Scowling, she headed back to class. Her thoughts returned to how she was going to apologize and get out of this mess. She thought about how she didn't deserve forgiveness anyway and was really starting to work herself into an emotional tizzy.

That is, until she turned a corner and nearly smacked face first into somebody's chest.

"Gohan!" Videl shrieked and did an awkward little bobble out of the way. "Don't DO that! You know you're like a brick wall! Geez!" She ran a hand through her short hair in frustration. "You could really hurt someone like that. Watch where you're going, okay?"

Gohan was stunned. He blushed and stuttered a few words of apology. His hand went back behind his head and nervously rubbed his neck.

Videl's eyes went wide. In her surprise, she completely forgot that she felt guilty. Or that he supposedly hated her. Or that she was a complete waste of space. Immediately her face went red and she averted her eyes to the ground.

"Sorry." She muttered and spun away, hoping to make tracks before anything _worse_ happened.

"Videl wait!"

The blue eyed crime fighter stopped dead. She didn't turn around, but waited to hear what he had to say. She could scarcely breathe. Anticipation and anxiety filled her up. _Oh Kami what is he going to say?!_ _Did the gifts finally pay off? Does he finally understand that I was trying to say how sorry I was? Is he finally going to chew me out for last week?! _

"Videl, listen." Hurt laced the edges of his voice. Still, the sound of it made her shiver. "I know that…" He took a breath. "I know that you probably hate me and don't want to have anything to do with me, but I want you to know that I am willing to talk. I don't want us to stay like this."

_What?! I don't hate you! I've been trying to apologize all stinking day! You're the one who… don't you hate me?_

His voice became a bit firmer, like he'd rehearsed this part. "I know you don't like me anymore, but perhaps you could tolerate me for the sake of or friends."

Videl's heart was sent into shock.

Gohan went on. His tone was softer and more pleading. "I… I know you were listening in on the rooftop. You probably got the whole story but… I'm pretty sure you have questions. So…" Another pause. "… uhm… yeah." He finished awkwardly.

Videl slowly turned to face Gohan, wide eyed. _You… you don't hate me? After all I've done to you, after the way I've treated you, you don't hate me? And after all the presents I've given you to apologize, you think _I'm_ the one who hates you!? _He stood in front of her anxiously. A half hopeful half pained look on his face. She stared at him and the pain intensified. He sighed and turned away, walking back the way he came.

_What?_ Videl stared at his retreating back for a second. _WHAT?! That's IT?_ Didn't he see how hard she was trying to apologize? All of her hard work, all of her presents and gifts and shenanigans amounted to _that_? That couldn't be it! Her temper mounted and boiled over, momentarily erasing all the dark feelings in her heart.

"WAIT JUST A MINUTE!"

* * *

Even though he was pretty far away from her at this point, Gohan flinched and turned around. _Oh crap. _Videl stormed down the hallway, ranting all the way.

"I don't _believe _this! Here I am, agonizing over the fact that you hate me to the point of never coming back to school or even talking to me and then out of the blue you just decide to hit me with _that_?!"

She got closer and Gohan got more confused. _She thought I hated her? But…_

"After ALL that I did to you," Videl continued, disregarding all the stares now directed her way, "after all that _crap_ I put you through, you think that we can just… go back to normal?! Are you _kidding_ me?!"

"I…" Gohan tried.

"NO! I've felt so absolutely _horrible_ ever since last week because I knew who you really are! I've agonized over the fact that you trusted me enough to tell me your secrets and I shoved them back in your face! I _still_ feel like a complete ass for not trusting you and believing you when you told me the truth! I've been trying all flipping day to apologize to you and you just aren't getting it!"

"What are you…"

"I stuffed presents in your locker," Videl said, getting close enough to poke him in the chest with her finger, "I wrote you _love_ notes, I gave you a full 4 gallons of ice cream, I bought four passes to an amusement park which you friggin' _gave away_, I asked the teachers to cut you some slack, and I got the police to try and call you in for an award since they all agree that you deserve one!"

Gohan's dark eyes got wider. "That was you? But I thought…"

"And that's the problem! I _thought_ I was getting the message across, but no! After all I've tried you STILL didn't get it! And here, you don't actually hate me at all?!" She backed him against the lockers angrily. "I'm such an _idiot_! I beat myself up for over two weeks over you! I friggin' _cried _over you! And I don't cry!"

Gohan was stunned. Again.

"Do you know how much I've wanted to beg you for forgiveness? To apologize my lungs out?!" Videl grit her teeth. "Do you know how much I regret my actions?! I treated you worse than dirt! How are you _NOT _angry with me?! Kami Gohan I am so sorry for the way I've treated you! I'm a horrible person and don't deserve your friendship or anything else you have to offer me!" Videl was yelling now. "Gohan, I'm a worthless piece of shi-"

"Don't you dare!" Gohan gripped her shoulders and stared her hard in the eye. He was also yelling now. "Don't you _dare _call yourself names!"

"And why not?!" Videl was far too into her rant to notice their proximity. "It's only what I deserve for…"

"I ALREADY FORGAVE YOU!"

Videl went silent, jaw hanging loose.

Seeing his opportunity to talk, Gohan relaxed his grip and continued. "I already forgave you Videl. I told you once before that you were too important to me to lose. That hasn't changed." He let his hands fall from her shoulders, his eyes tender. "Videl, you hurt me really bad. I was angry for a while, but there was more going on than you could've known. I can't hold that against you. After all, I never stopped… I mean I still…" He hesitated.

_I still love you._

He took a deep breath. "B-but if you don't want to be friends, that's alright. I know you don't like me the way I like you, but even if it's just your friendship, I don't want to lose that."

His face was tinted red as he met her eyes. "I thought that you were still angry with me. So I… uh… I wanted to give you space. That's why I didn't talk to you all day." He chuckled nervously. "And while I'm glad you're not angry with me, you really didn't need to give me anything."

She shut her jaw with an audible snap. Her face went very red and she looked away. They stood there awkwardly, trying hard not to look at each other.

"…"

"…"

Gohan cleared his throat. "So… uh… We'd… we'd better get to class." He slowly turned his gaze to her, hesitating to look her in the eye. "Are… are we good? Can we be friends again?"

She shook her head.

Gohan felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. _Well, can't say I didn't try. _He thought sadly, almost bitterly. _I just knew she wouldn't want to be friends anymore. _The downtrodden young man made to move away from the lockers, but was stopped as Videl's firm hand pushed him back.

"You don't get it, do you?" Videl was looking at him with a strange half smile. "Things can't ever be the same between us."

"Uh…" _What does she mean by that?_

Gohan felt a prickle of apprehension as Videl's face took on a very determined look. The prickle of apprehension got stronger as she got closer. He squeezed his eyes shut and steeled himself for the sure onslaught about to be dealt to him by the fiery fem fatale.

He was not even remotely prepared.

At the gentle pressure of her lips on his, his eyes flew open wider than he thought possible. The soft sensation overwhelmed his senses. The slightest movement sent tingles down his spine.

Videl was kissing him. _Videl was kissing him!_

There was NO WAY he could've predicted this! He was about to have the world's best internal freak-out when she pushed into the kiss a little more. His eyes fluttered shut and cognitive thought flew out the window.

Even though his mind was reduced to very happy demi-saiyan mush, his body ran solely on instinct as he gathered her in his arms and kissed her back.

* * *

Videl broke the impromptu kiss to the sounds of gasps, swears, catcalls, and squeals. It was hard to tear herself away from his lips. It was her first kiss after all.

_Wow. _She thought, slightly breathless. His lips were soft and full and so _warm_. She wanted to kiss him again. Pressed up against him, held in his strong embrace, she could feel the electricity that tingled up and down her spine.

She looked up at Gohan with a lidded gaze, a little dreamy eyed from the kiss. He looked absolutely dazed. She shivered a little at the emotions she saw in his eyes. They definitely couldn't go back to being friends again.

They were more than friends. He'd forgiven her before she even asked. Before she'd even gave him all the presents. How did he know she'd come ask for his forgiveness? He couldn't have known, he thought she hated him. Yet he forgave anyway. Did she mean that much to him?

Well, he certainly meant that much to her. After all that they'd been through, after all the crap they put each other through, friendship was a thing of the past. She was in love with him. She couldn't possibly just be a friend with him at this point.

Well, she totally would be his friend if he didn't return her feelings. She bit her lip. He hadn't said anything yet. Was she too forward? Did he still want a relationship with her?

She watched as his eyes slowly came back into focus on her. He smiled and she felt joy bubble up in her heart. All the dark feelings she'd been harboring shriveled up and died in the face of the radiant smile he gave her.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers, still smiling that goofy, love-smitten smile. She couldn't help herself. She matched his smile and felt tears of happiness and relief prick her eyes. After all that madness, things were finally going right. They both started laughing as the craziness of it all hit them both at the same time.

"Hey Videl." Gohan's voice was husky with emotion. The sound of it made the butterflies in her stomach start acting up again.

"Yeah Gohan?"

She couldn't help the surprised laugh that spilled out of her at his next question.

"Want to skip class?"

* * *

"See? I told you it would work." Erasa said smugly.

"Yeah yeah. Whatever you say Erasa." Videl rolled her eyes. They were all chilling in the park after the madness that was the school day. They sat under the shade of the trees. Just talking with each other.

"I'm serious! You apologized, made out, and now things are totally fine!" Erasa pouted and her friends laughed. She wasn't wrong.

After the 'incident' as the student body was calling it, the two of them actually skipped class to talk things out. The two of them had so much to talk about. So many misunderstandings to get straightened out. They discussed a great many things. Things that both needed to get off their chests. Videl found out about Gohan's background in greater detail. Gohan found out more about the day he went crazy. Secrets came out, but to both teens' surprise, neither really cared. They were both more than fine with who the other person was.

After all, love is about who you are, not who you were or who you're going to be.

They talked about the many disagreements they had. Both of them apologized profusely. Happiness, sadness, confusion, frustration, loss, hope, and love were all felt and relieved by both parties as forgiveness did its work in their hearts. They were able over stupid things they did to each other and how they tried to hide things in the course of the last two weeks. The hurts began to heal.

Because forgiveness is a powerful thing.

In the end, both agreed that they were idiots. Two stubborn, prideful idiots in love with each other in an insane situation that neither could completely control nor understand.

So they started dating.

"Frankly I can't believe you actually did that." Sharpner shook his head in wonder. "You kissed Gohan in front of practically the whole school! What're the tabloids gonna say? Videl Satan, hero of the city, kisses Gohan Son, resident nerd."

Gohan laughed. "You know, I couldn't care less what they say." He reached over and ruffled Videl's short hair. She grinned and bumped shoulders with him good naturedly. He chuckled and leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She blushed and sighed happily, leaning into his chest.

Across from them, Sharpner groaned. "Please stop being cute. It's seriously ruining my stomach."

"Oh get _over _yourself Sharpner. This is what we worked so hard for!" Erasa chided him.

"Whatever." The burly blonde grumped. Yes he was happy for them, but he was still a little sore over the fact that Videl was now dating someone and that someone wasn't him. Old habits die hard.

Erasa glared at him. She was going to have to work with him on that. She turned to Videl. "So now what? You know all Gohan's little secrets. You have him wrapped around your little finger," Gohan scoffed and she giggled, "and I'm guessing you're both going to fight crime together?"

"Yeah, but that's about it." Videl shrugged. "We're just gonna take one day at a time."

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. After all, a good relationship doesn't happen overnight."

"We're both figuring on entering this year's tournament though." Videl smiled. "Pretty sure most of his family and friends are entering anyway."

"Figures you two couldn't go on a normal date." Erasa teased.

"Well, he isn't normal and neither am I." Videl shrugged. "Plus his parents got engaged at a WMAT. Don't knock it."

Gohan blushed and laughed. "Strange thing is, she's right."

"Wow. Coincidence?" Sharpner finally shook off his jealousy to grin at his friends. They both blushed and he laughed. "In any case, that's pretty ballsy man. Didn't you know that Hercule said that the guy who dates his daughter has to beat him in a fight?"

"Yep." Gohan grinned mischievously. "But that's not gonna be a problem."

"Really? I mean you're pretty strong and all, being a superhero, but we're talking about Mr. Satan here. Are you sure you can take him and come out with your face still in one piece?"

"Oh… I dunno." Videl leaned back against Gohan. She looked up at him and they shared a knowing look. He gave her a confident smile and hugged her close. She snuggled against his chest and smiled back at him.

"I think he'll do okay."

**THE END**

* * *

**A/N: **So Gohan survived his saiyan puberty. Videl came to find the truth and together they started a relationship. After all no one can stay Under the Radar when love is involved. Only time will tell where that leads. The story goes on, but the tale of the beginning of their relationship is over. There are more twists and turns in their relationship to come. Especially in the Buu saga. Everybody knows about the Buu saga. Things always get worse before they get better. But they do get better.

But that's another story for another time.

Thank you for reading. It's been a long journey. Like… two years worth of journey. Two and a half years of journey WOW.

Reader, you've been a trouper. This is one long story. It really got me started on writing and is the first full length thing I've done. I really hope you enjoyed it from beginning to end. Feel free to leave your honest to goodness review of the entire thing. Your input is invaluable.

Again, thanks go out to everyone who has stuck with this story from its strange, slightly hurried beginnings to now. Your support has helped me in ways I can't fully express here. I pray that this story has made your life brighter in some small way. Your comments and reviews certainly made mine brighter.

Thank you. Until next time, stay snazzy out there. :D  
~ Hipstergecko


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